Minnesota Vikings linebacker Jake Golday is earning major praise and could be a young player who can make an impact in his first NFL season. In the offseason, the Vikings used their second-round pick on Golday, and that decision might be paying off soon.
Last season for the Cincinnati Bearcats, Golday earned an 82.4 overall PFF defensive grade while playing 681 snaps. Furthermore, Golday recorded 70 solo tackles, generated 18 total pressures, four sacks, allowed a 106.5 passer rating when targeted in coverage, and was charged with 10 missed tackles.
One person who is impressed with Golday so far in training camp is former Vikings linebacker Chad Greenway. In an Aug. 8 video from the team’s YouTube channel, Greenway shared his thoughts on the rookie.
“I’m seeing these kids come in and I’m like, how did I play in this league?” Greenway told Tatum Everett. “Because these guys are just simply built different. I’m not sure what they’re feeding these kids these days. I had no idea. But this linebacker we picked from Cincinnati, absolute stud. Great kid.
“You can meet somebody and see kind of the sparkle in their eye and you’re like, ‘Man, this kid’s got something to him.’ Very conscientious and nice, but also I see him out there running around like he’s an athlete.”
Moreover, Greenway is excited to see how Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores will use Golday this season.
“With [Flores’] defense, that’s exciting,” Greenway added. “The Van Ginkel-type body type can run, can move.”
Jake Golday on Adjusting From College Football to NFL
Recently, Golday gave an update on his transition from the Bearcats to the Vikings’ defense as he prepares for his rookie season.
“I would just say the flow of the defense is tricky,” Golday told reporters on Aug. 1. “Learning different spots, remembering what different packages we’re in, what spot I’m in, and knowing what my responsibility is within the defense…
“They told me the first thing when I got here was that they wanted me to be versatile and able to play a lot of things. That’s how I’m going to get on the field, so I didn’t take that lightly. I took that opportunity to study pretty much every single linebacker position.
“When the time came, I played Will all spring. Then when we came out here in fall camp, they said, ‘I want you to play some Sam.’ I was ready for the job because I’d been studying over the break and throughout spring the whole time. I want to know every position so that I can stay out there as much as possible.”
Vikings Defense Have a Versatile Piece in Jake Golday
Moreover, Golday is willing to be a Swiss Army knife for Flores, as he prides himself on being a versatile player who can take on different roles on defense. Having a player like Golday would be useful for the Vikings’ defensive coordinator should an injury hit the defense at any point this season.
“Ever since college, I’ve been versatile,” Golday said. “I played defensive end basically my first two years of college, but I got recruited as an athlete. They didn’t really know where to put me. They were like, ‘We need you at DN, so you’re going to play DN.’
“I learned how to play defensive end, and I thought I was a pretty good DN. Then they said, ‘Hey, we need you to move back to Mike linebacker. We need you at linebacker.’
“I played linebacker my last year at Central Arkansas, and then when I got to Cincinnati, I was playing all three spots. So yeah, I just pride myself on being versatile, working hard, and trying to get to the ball every play.”
Chad Greenway Doesn’t Hold Back on Vikings’ Jake Golday