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ections Vikings 2018 SeasonVikings 2019 OffseasonU.S. Bank StadiumMinnesota Vikings PodcastsMinnesota Vikings 2019 NFL DraftTranscript: Conference Call with Minnesota Vikings sixth-round pick Oli UdohNew Irv Smith Jersey nfl draft ,1commentHis first chance to talk with the Twin Cities mediaCDTShareTweetShareShareTranscript: Conference Call with Minnesota Vikings sixth-round pick Oli UdohChuck Cook-USA TODAY SportsWith the third of their three sixth-round picks in the 2019 NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings selected Oli Udoh, a big offensive tackle from Elon University. He got an opportunity to sit down with the Twin Cities media after his selection, and the folks from the Vikings’ PR Department were kind enough to provide us with this transcript of the Q&A session.Enjoy!Q: How rare was it to play in both the East-West Shrine Game and the Senior Bowl. What was that experience like?A: It was pretty fun for me to be able to go through that East-West training. To get that all up was pretty exciting on that Thursday. And then to go to the Senior Bowl, it was a really fun experience to be able to play with my peers and some of the best talent in the nation right now. For the most part, it was a pretty eye-opening and good experience for me going forward.Q: Do you feel like you had a lot to prove as a small-school player?A: Yes, that was probably the number one thing for me coming out for this draft. Being from Elon and that level of competition, those two invites and me getting to compete against those guys definitely helped me out with this whole process.Q: What’s it going to be like dealing with high-motor, quick-twitch guys in NFL?A: I think it’s going to be a good challenge for me coming from this level of competition. Just being able to adapt, I feel like that’s one thing I would say is my strong suit … just being able to adapt to different circumstances. That entire experience is going to be a good and fun challenge for me. I’m excited to get started with it come camp in a couple weeks.Q: How do you use your size and frame and wingspan to your advantage?A: I would say that it really helps on being able to zone block and also in pass protection being able to get my punch out there and my reach out there longer and a lot quicker. That helps me also with the initial contact and getting that a lot faster than regular offensive linemen.Q: What is the backstory with your parents coming from Nigeria? Do they know about football?A: My mom came when she was 18, and my dad when he was in his early 30s. They met in the New York/New Jersey area, and I was born in New Jersey. With everything they had learned from Nigeria, they just taught it to me and my other siblings. It definitely helped me with this whole process and just becoming a better player. They loved the game more the more I started playing it in high school. It was honestly a really awesome experience to see that happen.Q: Are you familiar with Vikings having a few players of Nigerian descent in Ade Aruna and Ifeadi Odenigbo?A: Yeah, I know both of them actually. Ade is with my agent’s group of people who he represents. And Ifeadi, I knew him because I used to live in Ohio. We lived pretty close to each other and hung out a couple times so that’s pretty cool to be able to join the ranks with more Nigerian players.Q: Early in your career you weighed as much as 384 pounds. How difficult was it to drop 60 pounds and keep it off?A: I would say keeping it off is a lot easier than dropping it. The dropping of it was probably the roughest part because I was pretty big, and just being able to change my diet and my weight and then get in shape more, start running and do more cardio to shed the weight was definitely a really tough process. But it was honestly something I wanted to do because I wanted to be the best football player that I could be. I think I’m achieving it, staying at this weight and hopefully progressing from maintaining this weight and playing in the NFL will help me out.Q: You have great size, but do you think you also have sneaky athleticism to help you execute in the zone scheme?A: Yeah, I think that’s another huge factor that the Vikings kind of could tell from tape and other factors, but because of the weight that I have Everson Griffen Jersey , you wouldn’t expect me to be as quick as I am. Just being able to be my size and move the way I’ve been moving these past couple months with those games and my season I think definitely helped with this whole process of getting me to be a Viking.Q: Have teams set a target weight for you to hit?A: I don’t think it’s a discussion that we’ve had. It’s not a discussion that we’ve had. I don’t think it’ll be a problem. Whatever they want me at. A lot of talk has been where I feel comfortable at, and I would say probably in the 320-330 range. But I’m also willing to lose some more weight if they would like me to. Whatever for the benefit of the team is honestly what I’m looking forward to doing. Just being able to get in and get that squared away will be good.Q: With part of the Vikings staff coaching in the East-West Shrine Game, how much contact did you have with them that week?A: I had a good amount of contact with them during that week. The assistant offensive line coach [Vikings Assistant OL Coach Andrew Janocko] was the offensive coordinator, so that also helped with this whole process because he liked me a lot. Down the line, saw them at the Combine and at the Senior Bowl, so just staying in constant contact with them ultimately led me to the Vikings.Q: Did you play on both sides of the line at the Shrine Game or stay mostly on one side?A: I played right guard and right tackle. Just the right side of the offensive line.Q: Your sister is a pretty good basketball player at Wake Forest. What can you say about her?A: She’s heading into her senior year. She started just about every single game since her sophomore year. They had a pretty rough year this past year, so she’s looking forward to getting back to work and figuring it out so she can leave next season on a good note with a pretty good record.Q: What are your interests off the field?A: I’m a pretty low-key guy, so I wouldn’t say I do anything too crazy. I like watching movies, like playing video games, just the casual things. I’m not really too much of a different activities outside [person]. I like to stay in and watch football, watch film or do something of the sorts instead of going out and doing activities. The 2018 Minnesota Vikings offense has quickly become one of the best passing offenses in the NFL, and if they keep it up they’ll start drawing comparisons to the 1998 offense, at least in terms of throwing the ball. I posted this tweet from Eric in the SMR, but I think it’s worth showing again, just to see how impressive the start to this season has been for Kirk Cousins, Adam Thielen, and Stefon Diggs:On Sunday, Thielen and Cousins set a couple records, and they’re unique ones in NFL history. First up, Thielen:I can’t get over what an incredible statistic that is. Why? Let’s do a little background. Starting in the 1980’s, the NFL really shifted the rules to open up the passing game Anthony Barr Jersey , and the best wide receivers to ever play the game have mostly come from this modern era where passing is the norm—Jerry Rice, Randy Moss, Cris Carter, Marvin Harrison, Terrell Owens, to just name a few.Coming into the season, Thielen was considered one of the better wide receivers in the league, but it was genreally thought Antonio Brown, Odell Beckham, Jr., Michael Thomas, and DeAndre Hopkins were better. Heck, you could even make an argument (and you still can) that Thielen wasn’t even the best WR on the Vikings, because Stefon Diggs is every bit as capable as any of the other aforementioned contemporaries.And none of them were able to accomplish what Thielen did on Sunday, with his fifth straight 100+ yard receiving game. Only Adam Thielen has done that, and it’s the first time anyone has done it since 1961...which ironically was the inagural season for the Vikings.Thielen also has more receiving yards after five games than any other player in Vikings history:But Thielen wouldn’t be doing all this without Kirk Cousins. On Sunday against the Eagles, Cousins set an NFL record of his own:That’s a statistic that’s almost as incredible as Thielen’s record, especially since you can’t really hit the quarterback anymore, and passing is now the norm in the NFL. Cousins has also thrown for 400 yards twice this season. The last Vikings QB to do twice in one season was Daunte Culpepper in 2004, and the only other time that has happened in team history was in 1994, when Warren Moon did it. No QB in Vikings history has done it three times in one season Mike Hughes Jersey , although Tommy Kramer threw for more than 400 yards four times in his career (1980, ‘81, ‘85 ‘86),The last Vikings QB to throw for 400 yards in a game was Brett Favre in 2010, and it’s a feat that’s only been accomplished 13 times in team history. There’s still a lot of things this team can improve on, and it makes sense that if the Vikes offense could run the ball Cousins, DIggs, and Thielen wouldn’t be off to their torrid starts. But it also stands to reason that in past years, if the Vikings couldn’t run the ball, their offense was dead in the water and the Vikings had little to no chance of winning a game, barring a couple special teams or defensive touchdowns.Although these record setting performances are a byproduct of an inability to run the ball, at least it’s nice to know that with Cousins, Diggs, and Thielen, the Vikings can still move the ball and score, and Minnesota still has a chance to win a lot of football games.And if/when they get their running game issues ironed out, this team is going to be deadly.