A year ago, the Minnesota Vikings only landed five players (plus Sam Howell via trade) in the draft. That was the result of spending draft picks in trades. A big problem for a team that lacks young talent.
Things got even worse when the season started and rookie tight end Gavin Bartholomew couldn’t compete due to a back injury he suffered in the summer. It ultimately cost him his entire debut season. Now, the sixth-rounder could be viewed as a sneaky bonus rookie in the Twin Cities.
He’ll benefit from the fact that the Vikings don’t have an established third tight end on the roster. Instead, it’ll be a competition behind the top duo of T.J. Hockenson and Josh Oliver. Fellow sophomore Ben Yurosek also vies for the TE3 assignment he served in last year.
Last year, a handful of tight ends got playing time. Hockenson headlined the crew, playing 691 offensive snaps. Oliver came in second with 400. Yurosek logged another 116, and mid-season addition Ben Sims registered 83. Nick Vannett, who had been on the practice squad until the Los Angeles Rams grabbed him, appeared 31 times.
Sims and Vannett are no longer around and no other meaningful competition was added in free agency or the draft. Unless 2025 UDFA and practice-squad player Bryson Nesbit emerges out of nowhere, it’ll be between Yurosek and Bartholomew.
Yurosek mostly did his job blocking, but was fairly unimpressive as a pass-catcher. That’s where the athletic Bartholomew enters the conversation. The Vikings drafted him because they thought he could provide some juice as an all-around TE3. His athleticism popped in the pre-draft process.
Gavin Bartholomew was drafted in round 6 pick 202 in the 2025 draft class. He scored a 8.87 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 152 out of 1338 TE from 1987 to 2025. https://t.co/4DdBACecCh pic.twitter.com/25Y2q09d3P
— RAS.football (@MathBomb) April 26, 2025
Like most young tight ends, Bartholomew lacked some size and power, which is no surprise for a guy who turned 22 a few days after his draft experience had unfolded. He’s currently listed as 6’5″ and 249lbs, but those numbers should always be taken with a grain of salt. Blocking has often been cited as something he’d need to work on, though he showed some promise in that area during his college days.
In college, Bartholomew snagged 105 passes for 1,257 yards and found the end zone 11 times. His consistency was impressive, as he registered between 283 and 326 yards in all four years at Pittsburgh.
His rookie season didn’t go according to plan, but head coach Kevin O’Connell was sold on his skill set early on.
He said in May 2025: “Gavin, you know, it’s always a position that sometimes, between the film evaluation, the Pro Day, seeing the tape of it, you just hope they show up and look the way you hope they look. And Gavin definitely did.”
Ultimately, O’Connell will make the call. Bartholomew returned to practice late last season, but the Vikings didn’t activate him off I.R. for the final game of the year. It was a good sign, nevertheless.
At only 23 with zero opportunities in his rookie season because of a nagging injury, Bartholomew is the ultimate wild card next month. With Hockenson in a contract year and Oliver never having shown the ability to be a TE1-type, the sophomore’s promising training camp and preseason showings would be a welcome sign.
About The Author
