Irv Smith received an invitation this summer to Tight End University, the NFL-wide summit the Chiefs' Travis Kielce and 49ers' George Kittle created with former tight end Greg Olsen for players around the league. During the June get-together in Nashville, Smith made a point to find Kittle, the two-time Pro Bowler who's excelled in an offense that shares plenty of roots with the Vikings' scheme.
"We pick each other's brains, for sure. He's had a lot of success in this league in similar offenses. Just going back and forth, our favorite plays and our favorite routes and what we like to run.