DENVER – After Roc Thomas signed with the Vikings in April, it didn’t take long for the undrafted free agent to fixate on a player he thought he might be able to use as a template: Jerick McKinnon.
The former Vikings running back had signed a four-year, $30 million contract with the 49ers in March, after blossoming into a role as a runner and receiver and posting 991 yards from scrimmage in the Vikings’ offense. Thomas saw how the Vikings had used McKinnon, what they were going to be missing and realized he might be able to succeed in Minnesota by imitating a bit of what the former third-round pick had done.