BYU outside linebacker Tyler Batty is one of the key undrafted free agents the Minnesota Vikings signed this offseason. At first glance, none of Batty’s college stats stand out. He had his best season as a junior when he tallied 57 tackles, nine tackles for loss, and 5.5 sacks, primarily serving as a bull rusher in Jay Hill’s defense. Still, Batty managed to record the most hits on quarterback pressures in the Big 12 and earned Second Team All-Big 12 recognition following his career year in 2023.
The Vikings have a ton of depth at edge rusher, which will make it difficult for an undrafted free agent to break through and make the final 53-man roster. Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, and Dallas Turner are all locks to make the team. Turner should take on a significantly larger role in his sophomore campaign after Patrick Jones signed with the Carolina Panthers during free agency. Aside from their three star D-linemen, Minnesota has UCLA’s Gabriel Murphy and Air Force’s Bo Richter, two undrafted free agents from last offseason, whom they believe could become impact players.
Bo Richter only played 20 snaps yesterday
-6 Tackles
-1 Sack
-2 TFL
"Can unlock and close in a blink… linear twitch and relentless motor will earn him long looks in camp, potentially as a special-teams ace." -D.Brugler
-1st Team All-MWC
-Led MWC in TFL (19.5)
-4.56 40/40" VJ pic.twitter.com/DBpTIJXJqc
— Luke Inman (@Luke_Spinman) August 11, 2024
Despite the seemingly insurmountable odds of making the 53-man roster, Batty may have an ace up his sleeve, one that could help propel him from being practice-squad fodder to a potentially crucial rotational player next year if everything works out. However, that’s a wide range of outcomes, and I’m not saying that Batty is a lock to make the roster. I would presume that Murphy and Richter will enter camp with better odds of making the team than Batty due to their seniority.
However, Batty could have a unique advantage in making the 53-man roster that Murphy and Richter lack. Batty’s specialty at the collegiate level was being an elite run defender as a 4-3 defensive end and at outside linebacker in a 3-4 defense. Batty finished his sophomore campaign with the highest run-defense grade among the seven independent FBS teams at the time. That wasn’t a statistical anomaly, either. When BYU joined the Big 12 the following season, Batty had the 10th-highest run-defense grade in his junior year and the fifth-highest run-defense grade in his senior year.
Tyler Batty (92) is exactly my type pic.twitter.com/ZaWCvRoPe9
— Brett Kollmann (@BrettKollmann) January 11, 2025
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah didn’t give Tyler Batty $234,000 in guaranteed money and the largest signing bonus among Minnesota’s 2025 undrafted free agents because of his sack production. It was because of Batty’s ability to consistently set the edge against the run at a high level. That’s important because backups only get snaps in certain situations, whether that be early-down work, third-and-long on obvious passing downs, or when it’s fourth-and-inches at the goal line. Minnesota’s coaches need a go-to rotational guy for each scenario.
Batty has the unique advantage of having a clearly defined niche as an edge-setting outside linebacker. Most importantly, he stops the run better than Murphy, Richter, and all the other edge rushers buried on the depth chart fighting for a roster spot. Whereas Murphy and Richter both profile as undersized pass-rushing specialists, which means they’re fighting for the same niche role on the team. From a roster construction standpoint, it makes little sense to keep two players who serve the same purpose while waiving the one guy who offers a different skill set.
Granted, Batty still must prove he’s worthy of a roster spot in training camp. The Vikings aren’t going to hand him the job if they can find someone else who can do it better, and there’s still a very real possibility that a fully healthy Murphy and a high-motor Richter are too valuable to risk losing to another team off waivers. However, if Batty has a great training camp and preseason, Minnesota may be forced to make the difficult decision to waive a promising pass rushing specialist due to the amount of depth they already have at the position.
UCLA edge Gabriel Murphy has a chance to be a steal for the #Vikings as a UDFA. Like Ivan Pace Jr, he’s undersized but has elite athleticism and was super productive in college. Last year: 8 sacks, 16 TFL, 61 pressures. Fourth-round grade from @dpbrugler. pic.twitter.com/nd1AC68M4r
— Will Ragatz (@WillRagatz) April 27, 2024
The adage “niches get the riches” encapsulates why teams sought after Tyler Batty as a UDFA. It can also be used to describe the current state of the depth at the outside linebacker position. The Minnesota Vikings have three talented players in Murphy, Richter, and Batty, all of whom are good enough to be on an NFL roster. Ultimately, their fates won’t be determined by their talent level, but rather by who can best fit into a certain niche.