Welcome to the beginning of our 2023 season preview content!
Over the next few weeks, we will be looking at each player on the roster in-depth with backgrounds and how they currently project forward on the Minnesota Vikings roster.
What is the best-case scenario? What is the worst-case scenario? What should we expect from them during the preseason and beyond? We will break all of that down here.
As a staff, all of us at Vikings Wire ranked the entire 90-man roster 1-90 and will be releasing player profiles in reverse order.
Background
Name: Jacky Chen
Rank: 83
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 302 lbs
Experience: Rookie
College: Pace
Stats (At Pace): 31 games
Votes:
Tyler Forness: 83
Kevin Fielder: 87
Judd Zulgad: 82
Saivion Mixson: 83
Average: 83.75
Best case scenario
Chen pairs his incredible size with adequate strength and technique to play in the NFL. Coming from Pace, Chen will be going up three levels of competition. Doing so provides challenges that most rookies don’t have to deal with. Considering his excellent size profile, making a solid showing early on will be a huge benefit to making the roster or practice squad.
Worst case scenario
As mentioned earlier, Chen played his college ball at the D-II level. That is a huge difference in skill, strength and speed. The Vikings have only drafted one G5 player under general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. The Vikings did try that route with Kyle Hinto in the 2020 draft and it only yielded a few plays in regular season games. That is the baseline for what Chen is likely to be.
What to expect in 2023
Chen is a very intriguing prospect due to his size and raw profile. With that said, he went undrafted for a reason. He is worth a shot to develop, but expectations aren’t very high for that reason. If he can make the jump from D-II, it’s a huge win for the Vikings. For now, Chen should be viewed as a camp body with plus potential and possibly make the practice squad.
Previous player profiles
90-Garett Maag
89-Jack Podlesny
88-Zach Ojile
87-NaJee Thompson
86-Thayer Thomas
85-Sam Schlueter
84-Jaylin Williams
