The easy guess is that Vikings’ seventh round draft choice Tyler Thigpen won’t make the team’s final roster later this year. Going into the draft last month the Vikings had three players on their roster who they had picked in rounds five or later. However, there are always surprises in the draft as former Vikings quarterback Brad Johnson, a ninth round pick in 1992, will tell you.
Thigpen, a quarterback from small school Coastal Carolina in Conway, South Carolina, is familiar with surprises. He didn’t see pro football in his future growing up near Columbia, South Carolina and even after his junior year at Coastal he didn’t anticipate a tryout in the NFL.
“Coming out of high school I didn’t think I was going to play college football,” Thigpen told Sports Headliners. “Going into college football I had no clue I would even dream of being an NFL player. Things opened up for me after my senior year. I’ve taken advantage of every opportunity I’ve had.”
Coastal Carolina intensified its passing game in Thigpen’s last season. After throwing for 1,589 yards and 11 touchdowns as a junior, he increased his numbers to 3,296 yards and 29 touchdowns. “That was a big jump and that (difference) caught the eyes of a lot of guys (scouts),” he said.
The Vikings liked his talent, including his passing touch, and his character. The organization looked at Thigpen on film and even included him among the players who visited here before the draft. “We thought this kid was more than talented enough to get drafted and was definitely worth a seventh-round pick to get him,” said Rick Spielman, Vikings vice president of player personnel.
Thigpen, about 6-foot-1, 223 pounds, talks modestly about himself and said he doesn’t know what’s next if he isn’t successful in making the team. “I have no clue,” he said. “I pray about it. I ask the good Lord to tell me and send me in the right direction.”
Would he try NFL Europe? “I definitely want to keep trying,” he said. “If it’s a possibility for me to keep playing, I definitely want to.”
Thigpen was a sports management major in college. His future could eventually include coaching at the high school or college level. For now, though, he’s trying to join the profession of playing football, not teaching it.
What have the Vikings coaches told him? “They haven’t really told me anything,” he answered. “This is a job. This is a profession. You gotta come here and compete. …”