Tai Felton is making the kind of summer case nobody had really penciled in when Vikings camp opened.
The 23-year-old enters the season buried behind Jauan Jennings as Minnesota’s WR4 on a depth chart that already has a lot of traffic at the top. Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison are still the headliners, Jennings arrived from the San Francisco 49ers in free agency for his sixth NFL season, and Myles Price and Dillon Bell have also drawn attention after joining as undrafted free agents following the 2025 and 2026 drafts.
That leaves Felton needing to turn a second-year jump into real offensive work. The third-round pick in 2025 appeared in all 17 games as a rookie, but most of that came on special teams.
He finished with three catches for 25 receiving yards, including a 10-yard reception, along with seven kickoff returns, 178 return yards and nine special teams tackles. He has yet to score an NFL touchdown.
What has changed this summer is the way he’s been showing up in practice. The contested catches are getting noticed, and that has given camp a different feel around him.
When former Vikings Eric Kendricks and Anthony Barr asked for camp standouts on their “Bent Outta Shape” podcast, both defenders named the receiver they had been covering in practice.
“He's making some nice 50-50 balls, finding ways to get open, making the contested catches,” Metellus said about Felton. “Big step from his game last year. Last year he did really good on special teams, but it's been really good to see him take that step at receiver.”
Felton’s speed was never the question. He ran a 4.37-second 40-yard dash before the 2025 draft. What he’s adding now is the ability to win when a defender is right on him, and that gives Kevin O’Connell another usable piece in the offense.
That skill matters on sideline routes, on third downs and on the occasional shot play, even without Felton needing to climb over Jennings on the depth chart.
Metellus also pointed to just how packed the room is when Kendricks brought up the receivers.
“It is very crowded. Hey, we got some dogs in there,” Metellus said.
Felton’s special teams work still gives him a straightforward path to the active roster while he keeps building his role on offense. WR4 is not a starring job in a unit built around Jefferson, Addison, tight ends and running backs, but if Felton keeps making contested catches, he could carve out a weekly package and give Minnesota insurance if injuries change the picture.
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