The Minnesota Vikings have their sights set on improving the wide receiver room after the departure of Jalen Nailor, and a Minnesota product with ties to Adam Thielen made a statement for consideration, saying he’d love to catch passes from Kyler Murray.
Considered one of the top Division II receivers in the country, Minnesota State’s TreShawn Watson recently appeared on the “Vikes Verified” podcast and was asked his top five quarterbacks he’d like to catch passes from.
The usual suspects came up like Aaron Rodgers, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow and Patrick Mahomes, but the mention of Murray was a bit of a wild card.
“I’m gonna have to say Kyler Murray,” Watson said. “Kyler Murray, you know, he’s a dog, and I think this receiver room is going to be something special.”
However, understanding the path his mentor, Adam Thielen, took to the NFL, Watson was wise to make his feelings about a potential invite to rookie minicamps clear.
TreShawn Watson Could Follow Adam Thielen’s Footsteps as Next Minnesota State WR to Leave Mark on NFL
Watson is aware of the path set before him by Thielen, a 2013 walk-on at Vikings rookie minicamps who became a Pro Bowl receiver and among the greatest receivers in franchise history.
Thielen’s journey was a landmark for the program that could begin to see a pipeline to the NFL. A native of New London-Spicer, Minnesota, Shane Zylstra ranked second all-time in receiving touchdowns for the Mavericks. He went undrafted in 2021 but has played four seasons for the Detroit Lions, including six starts and 35 games.
Watson could be the next Minnesota State pass catcher to make the jump to the NFL. He led all of Division II with 40 receptions for 732 yards receiving and five touchdowns in six games before he suffered a season-ending injury in October.
With less than three full seasons in Mankato, Minnesota, “Watson accumulated 129 catches for 2,122 yards and 20 touchdowns… after transferring from Illinois State following the 2022 season. His 20 career receiving touchdowns rank fifth in program history, surpassing the 19 caught by NFL Pro Bowler Adam Thielen,” according to Mitch Vosberg of the Mankato Free Press.
Watson told Minnesota State’s college newspaper that Thielen had reached out last summer and the two have maintained contact.
“I can’t give enough credit to him when it comes to his pro perspective, keeping his faith, and watching him be a great father,” Watson said. “He’s a great role model.”
It will be an uphill battle for Watson, who was graded as the 101st wide receiver prospect by The Athletic’s Dane Brugler.
Watson Fits Vikings’ Top-30 WR Visits
The Vikings’ top-30 visits offer some insight into what direction the team may look in the 2026 draft. Among a list of 14 prospects’ reported visits, which do not need to be publicized, four wide receivers were mentioned: Cincinnati WR Jeff Caldwell; Georgia State WR Ted Hurst; Miami WR C.J. Daniels; Ole Miss WR De’Zhaun Stribling.
All four prospects have primarily played as outside receivers in college and are much taller than Jordan Addison or Nailor, both of whom were under 6 feet tall entering the NFL. The average height of the four receiver prospects is 6-foot-3.
Watson fits the bill of what the Vikings may be looking for in a third receiver. He was listed as 6-foot-4, 215 pounds for his senior year.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Adam Thielen Understudy Sends Vikings, Kyler Murray Strong Words appeared first on Heavy Sports.