Kyle Rudolph was returning home from dinner with his family Friday evening when his agent, Brian Murphy, called with the news that the Vikings had just selected Alabama tight end Irv Smith Jr. in the second round of the NFL draft.
"It's awesome," the Vikings tight end said by phone shortly after the pick was made.
Why?
"Basically, if you watch Coach [Gary] Kubiak's system over the years, he's had a lot of guys who can play at a high level while using multiple tight-end sets," said Rudolph, referring to the team's new assistant head coach/offensive adviser.