13 August 2023
It took roughly 10 seconds last week for undrafted rookie NaJee Thompson to show Vikings they might want to keep him around.
Though most fans likely weren’t locked in when the Vikings punted to the Seattle Seahawks early in Thursday night’s preseason opener, that particular snap meant everything to Thompson in his pursuit of making the team.
As a gunner on the outside, Thompson used his speed to weave through traffic in the middle of the field, eyed his target at the point of attack, then promptly leveled Seahawks returner Easop Winston Jr.
The effort from @najee_thompson here pic.twitter.com/ohW4iWzOHZ
— NFL (@NFL) August 11, 2023
“You’re running down there with a plan,” Thompson said. “Sometimes the plan works, sometimes the plan doesn’t work. It comes down to effort.”
That’s not an issue for Thompson. He prides himself on his special teams play; it’s a role he fully committed to while playing at Georgia Southern. After starring on the football field in his hometown Boiling Springs, S.C. —not to mention setting a state record on the track in the 200-meter dash — Thompson quickly learned his role once he got to college.
“You don’t always get to be the guy,” said Thompson, who garnered the nickname “Flash” as a teenager. “Just coming in out of high school, I wasn’t that guy anymore. I knew I had to find a way to get on the field, and special teams was that for me. I fell in love with it, and ever since, I’ve wanted to be the best.”
That passion is something special teams coordinator Matt Daniels appreciates, which is why he kept an eye on Thompson throughout his collegiate career.
“He lives and breathes special teams,” Daniels said. “That’s who is is at his core.”
That could end up going a long way for Thompson, who could potentially fill the void left by former special teams ace Kris Boyd, who made a name for himself with the Vikings before moving on to the Arizona Cardinals.
Thompson, Daniels noted, “has always been a special teams guy. He’s come into this league and he knows what his role is.”
Asked about Thompson’s performance in the preseason game, head coach Kevin O’Connell likened him to longtime New England Patriots special teams ace Matthew Slater. They both have the ability to win with speed and power, O’Connell said, while also bringing a sense of intelligence to the position.
“He flashes,” O’Connell said with an unintentional reference to Thompson’s nickname. “You constantly see him around the football.”
That proved to be the case once again later in Thursday’s 23-14 loss at Seattle as Thompson raced down the field after punter Ryan Wright boomed a football skyward. After shaking loose from a blocker, Thompson tracked the football and downed it at the 2-yard line.
“The bright lights aren’t too big for him,” Daniels said. “He’s been doing an unbelievable job. We’ll see if he can continue to stack plays up and stack days up in practice. He’s playing really, really confident right now.”
The fact that Thompson has reached the NFL almost exclusively because of his special teams play is pretty uncommon. Usually a young player figures out at some point during training camp that special teams are his way onto the field.
Not at all the case with Thompson.
“This is the thing that means the most to me about the game,” he said. “Every day I wake up and it’s special teams on my mind. I love it. That’s where I want to earn my playing time.”
That’s why the particular snap last week was so important to Thompson.
“As a special teams player, I only get one rep,” Thompson said. “That’s my one play for that series. It might end up being my only play of the day. That’s how it’s always been. There are limited reps out there so I have to go and make the most of every time I get on the field.”
That’s exactly what Thompson has done so far.
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