Why former Vikings LB Ben Leber thinks Kene Nwangwu and Ihmir Smith-Marsette are similar
Minnesota has done a great job of drafting running backs and wideouts recently.
The Vikings have taken running backs Jerick McKinnon, Dalvin Cook and Alexander Mattison, all of whom have panned out into at least decent players.
Sure, Minnesota whiffed on Laquon Treadwell, but the team also has nabbed stellar wideouts Stefon Diggs and Justin Jefferson.
This year, the Vikings took another running back and another wide receiver. Minnesota landed RB Kene Nwangwu in the fourth round and followed that up with WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette in the fifth.
Ben Leber, a former Vikings linebacker and NFL current analyst, thinks the two rookies have quite a bit in common:
“They both come from college cultures that they were never the true focal point. And I think you’re finding guys that are OK with the grind and are OK playing the role,” Leber said, per Vikings.com. “I don’t think that you’re going to see [Nwangwu] try to come in and be shocked by the fact that, ‘Hey, Dalvin’s the guy.'”
Nwangwu is thought of to be more of a special teams player. He was a stellar kick returner for Iowa State in college. But maybe he can be more than that.
Smith-Marsette enters a very different position group. Due to the workload of Cook and Mattison, the third running back might not have a massive role in the offense. The third wide receiver, however, will be on the field quite a bit.
Besides Adam Thielen and Justin Jefferson, the Vikings don’t have positional strength at wideout, leaving a big role up for grabs. So Smith-Marsette and Nwangwu might be similar in that they’re OK with the grind, but Nwangwu might have to put in more of an effort to see the field a ton.
