Vikings sign three members of their 2019 draft class

With the 2019 NFL Draft firmly in the rear-view mirror, the Minnesota Vikings have gone about the business of signing the twelve young men that they drafted last weekend, inking three of them to their rookie deals on Thursday.

The highest of the Vikings’ dozen selections to sign his deal was second-round pick Irv Smith Jr., the tight end from the University of Alabama. The Vikings selected Smith with the 50th overall pick last Friday, and he signed a four-year deal with the team today. According to Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Smith’s contract has a total value of $5.798 million with a $2.237 million signing bonus and a cap hit for 2019 of $1.054 million.

A pair of sixth-round selections also signed on Thursday, as Wyoming safety Marcus Epps and Elon tackle Oli Udoh came to terms with the Vikings. Per Tomasson, Epps’ deal has a total value of $2.688 million, including a $168,756 signing bonus and a cap hit for the 2019 season of $537,189.

Udoh, who was selected just two picks after Epps in the sixth round, signed a deal with a total value of $2.687 million, with a $167,000 signing bonus and a 2019 cap hit of $536,900.

The “Top 51” salary cap cutoff, according to the good folks from Over the Cap, is currently at $570,000. That means that both Epps and Udoh come in below that figure, basically costing the Vikings nothing in terms of cap space to sign them today.

Congratulations to Smith, Epps, and Udoh on officially becoming members of the National Football League!