sign in sign up
<<
Home , Justin Jefferson, Matt Kalil, Percy Harvin, Teddy Bridgewater

2021 PERSONNEL DEPARTMENT UPDATES

RYAN MONNENS CO-DIRECTOR OF PLAYER PERSONNEL Ryan Monnens begins his 20th season in the Vikings scouting department in 2021 and his 1st as Co-Director of Player Personnel. Monnens and Jamaal Stephenson share responsibilities overseeing all elements of the Vikings pro and college scouting efforts and is responsible for evaluating NFL players and free agents, draft eligible players, advance scouting of opponents, scouting other professional leagues, and assisting with the pro scouting database. Monnens spent the past 8 seasons as the Director of Pro Scouting after 8 seasons as a pro scout 3 seasons as a pro personnel assistant. He joined the Vikings as an intern in 1998 and spent the following 3 seasons in public relations with the club. Monnens played WR at St. John’s University in Collegeville, MN (1995-97) under legendary coach John Gagliardi, the all- time winningest coach in history. During his tenure at St. John’s, the Johnnies won the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title in 1995 and ’96, advanced to the NCAA playoffs, and posted a 25-6-1 record. A Minnesota native, Monnens grew up in Richmond and attended Rocori High School. Monnens earned his bachelor’s degree from St. John’s in 1998. Monnens resides in Excelsior with his wife, Krissy, and their daughter, Olivia.

JAMAAL STEPHENSON CO-DIRECTOR OF PLAYER PERSONNEL Jamaal Stephenson enters his 20th season with the Vikings in 2021 and enters his 1st as Co-Director of Player Personnel. Stephenson and Ryan Monnens share responsibilities overseeing all elements of the Vikings pro and college scouting efforts and is responsible for evaluating NFL players and free agents, advance scouting of opponents, scouting other professional leagues, and assisting with the pro scouting database. In Stephenson’s tenure, 16 Vikings rookies have earned All-Rookie accolades and 2, and , have been named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. In 2020, WR had a record-shattering rookie season that earned him 2nd-Team Associated Press All-Pro honors, the first Vikings rookie position player to make the AP squad since in 1998. In 2014 earned Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year in fan voting. Since 2007, the Vikings have sent 5 rookie players to the in their debut seasons- Justin Jefferson (2020), (2013), (2012) (2012), Percy Harvin (2009) and Adrian Peterson (2007). In 2009, Stephenson was promoted to Assistant Director of College Scouting after originally joining the club in 2002 as a college scout. Stephenson took over the Vikings college scouting department for the 2014 season. Stephenson was recognized by the Fritz Pollard Alliance with the NFC Scout of the Year award for the 2012 season, presented during the 2013 Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. Stephenson joined the Vikings in 2002 after spending 2 years with the as a College Administrator. Prior to joining the Texans, Stephenson spent one year as a scouting assistant for the Washington Redskins. His duties included evaluations and producing scouting reports. In the spring of 1998, Stephenson coached defensive backs as a graduate assistant at UMass. Stephenson is a native of Goldsboro, NC. He was a 2-time All-Ivy League honoree at Brown as a DB, and was also awarded the team’s “Unsung Hero” Award. He earned his bachelor’s in organizational behavior management in 1997, and his master’s in sport management from Massachusetts in 1999. In 2003, Stephenson was selected to Brown’s All-Decade Football Team for the 1990’s. He was honored as part of the 125-year anniversary celebration of football at Brown University. Stephenson and his wife, Emily, have sons, Noah and Julian, and a daughter, Gabrielle.

REED BURCKHARDT DIRECTOR OF PRO SCOUTING Reed Burckhardt enters his 13th season with the Vikings and his 1st as Director of Pro Scouting in 2021, having previously served the club as a Pro Scout (2017-19) and Assistant Director of Pro Scouting (2020). He previously covered the Northeast/Atlantic Region of the country as a College Scout/Area for the Vikings after spending 2 seasons as the club’s Blesto Scout. Burckhardt has gained experience within the franchise in several scouting and personnel roles. Burckhardt began with the Vikings as an intern in the operations department in 2009, interned with the Vikings scouting department in 2010 and grew into a full-time role with the team. His background in football included his tenure as a 3-year letterwinner as a backup QB at South Dakota State as the team transitioned from a Division II squad to Division I FCS (Division I-AA). The Jackrabbits capped their transition by winning the 2007 Great West Football Conference title. Following his playing career at SDSU, Burckhardt worked with the football staff in a part-time role with recruiting and assisted coaching the linebackers. He graduated in 2008 with a degree in business. Burckhardt attended Russell-Tyler-Ruthton High School in rural Southwestern Minnesota where he was a football and basketball standout. He comes from a strong sports family. His father, Keith, was an assistant high school football and basketball coach for 16 seasons, highlighted by Russell High’s 3 straight trips to the state 9-man football tournament, winning the state title in 1979. Burckhardt is single and resides in Minneapolis.

MIKE SHOLITON DIRECTOR OF COLLEGE SCOUTING Mike Sholiton returns for his 18th season with the Vikings in 2021 and will take on the responsibilities of Director of College Scouting for the club this season. Sholiton is in his second stint in the NFL after working as an intern with the scouting, video and community relations departments of the St. Louis Rams from 1997-2000. He was a member of the 1999 Rams staff when the team won XXXIV over Tennessee. While working with the Rams scouting department, Sholiton maintained draft boards and collected scouting reports while evaluating and profiling draft eligible seniors for the 1999 Draft. Sholiton came to the Vikings after 4 seasons with Fresno State where he served as Football Operations Coordinator for the Bulldogs. During his tenure with Fresno State the team climbed the national charts and posted one of the most successful stints in school history. The Bulldogs went 36-18 in his four seasons with the program and played in four straight bowl games, including wins over Georgia Tech and UCLA in the 2002 and 2003 Silicon Valley Football Classics respectively. A native of Cleveland, Sholiton was a four-year letterwinner as a WR and PR at Washington University in St. Louis. He earned his bachelor’s degree in marketing in 2000 and went on to earn a master’s in kinesiology from Fresno State in 2001. Sholiton and wife, Ashley, have a son, Brett, and daughter, Bonnie. The family resides in San Antonio.

PAT ROBERTS ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF COLLEGE SCOUTING In his 9th season with the Vikings in 2021, Pat Roberts enters his 1st season as Assistant Director of College Scouting for the Vikings. Roberts spent the past 8 seasons with the Vikings as a National Scout, coming to the club after 8 seasons with the from 2005-12. He originally entered the NFL in 1998 with Chicago and served in a variety of roles with the team. Roberts began with Cleveland as a national scout from 2005-08 before advancing to Director of College Scouting in 2009 and on to Senior National Scout from 2010-12. Roberts was an in-house scout for the team in 1998 and spent 1999-2003 as the Bears’ Northeast Area Scout before moving to the Southeast Area in 2004. Prior to joining the Bears, Roberts served briefly as the head strength coach and offensive line coach for Division III Millsaps College in Jackson, MS. His coaching career began at his alma mater, DePauw University in Indiana, where he coached RBs in 1995 and offensive line in 1996-97. Roberts was an offensive guard from 1991-94 while earning a degree in exercise science in 1995. He went on to get a master’s degree in exercise science from Indiana State in 1998. Roberts and wife, Allison, have a daughter, Sophia, and son, Ryder.

CHRIS BLANCO ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF PRO SCOUTING Chris Blanco enters his 1st season with Minnesota as the Assistant Director of Pro Scouting. The 2021 campaign will mark his 10th season in the NFL. Previously with Houston, Blanco spent 9 seasons with the Texans, most recently serving as a pro scout since May 2017. In that role, Blanco evaluated players from the NFL and other professional football leagues in addition to college prospects. He also handled advance scouting of Texans opponents, assisted with player workouts, attended college pro days and conducted positional crosscheck evaluations for the NFL Draft. From June 2014 to May 2017, Blanco worked as Houston’s player personnel scout for 3 seasons after taking on an interim pro scout role from February to May 2014. Blanco entered the NFL as a Texans pro personnel assistant in June 2012. During his tenure with Houston, the team was named AFC South Division Champions five seasons (2012, 2015-16, 2018- 19). Blanco was a 2-year starter at CB at Dartmouth College from 2003-07, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in sociology. In addition to playing football for the Big Green, Blanco also was a member of the Dartmouth boxing team. Blanco earned a Juris Doctor degree from The University of Iowa College of Law, where he was the co-founder and co- president of the Sports Law Society and served as a recruiting assistant for the Hawkeyes football team. A native of La Mirada, Calif., Blanco currently resides in St. Paul.

CAROLINE DeFELICE PLAYER PERSONNEL ASSISTANT Caroline DeFelice begins her 3rd season in the Vikings personnel department in 2021 and 1st as Player Personnel Assistant after serving as a Scouting Intern previously. DeFelice helps coordinate and execute pro and college scouting in addition to helping evaluate talent and opponents. Prior to joining the Vikings in 2019, DeFelice served as a Player Personnel Assistant with the NFL’s Management Council from 2018-19. She assisted with the approval of player contracts, the execution of the daily player personnel notice to Clubs, verifying player eligibility and components of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. Prior to working with office, DeFelice held previous NFL internships and positions with Tampa Bay, Buffalo, and New England in team operations, public relations, business development and marketing, respectively. DeFelice’s career in football started in 2009 with the UMASS Minutemen from 2009-13 where she assisted with team logistics and day-to-day operations. She is a 2012 graduate of UMass in sport management. She holds a Masters of Education from Oklahoma where she served as Director of Operations for the Women’s Soccer program and then as a Graduate Assistant primarily working with Sooner football. A native of Hamilton, Mass., DeFelice is single and resides in the Twin Cities.

CHISOM OPARA NATIONAL SCOUT Chisom Opara is in his 4th season with the Vikings in 2021 and enters his 1st season as a National Scout. Opara has a wealth of experience in NFL personnel, having worked in Cleveland from 2005-17, climbing to Director of Player Personnel. Opara joined the Browns after spending the 2004 season as a player personnel assistant with the Baltimore Ravens, where he served as an in-house scout and prepared special teams scouting reports, as well as scouting local colleges. Opara originally signed with Baltimore as an undrafted free agent WR in 2003 and went to training camp with the team before being waived at the end of camp. Opara went back to school and graduated from Princeton in 2004 with a bachelor of arts in politics. Opara played collegiately as a WR at Princeton and finished his career 2nd all-time in receiving yards (2,198) and 3rd in receptions (154). A native of Baltimore, he served as team captain his senior year and was 2nd-team All-Ivy League. Opara is married to Megan and the couple has a, daughter Brooklyn Emiko Opara.

MITCH JOHNSON-MARTIN COLLEGE SCOUT/BLESTO Mitch Johnson-Martin enters 2nd season with the Vikings in 2021 and his 1st as the club’s BLESTO Scout covering the central plains region. During his time as a scouting intern in 2020, he worked closely with the pro scouts putting together weekly advances for offense, defense and special teams and assisted in day to day operations of the personnel department. Johnson-Martin’s initial NFL experience was with Green Bay for the 2019 season as an Intern in the partnership and activation department. A team captain as a senior DB at Minnesota-Duluth, Johnson-Martin helped the Division-II Bulldogs to a 39-9 record during his tenure, including a share of the Northern Sun Conference title in 2018 and berths in the D-II playoffs in 2016 and 2018. He earned a degree in business in 2019. A native of LaCrosse, WI, Johnson-Martin attended Central High. He is single and resides in Crystal, MN.

KAITLIN ZARECKI SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE GENERAL MANAGER & PLAYER DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Kaitlin Zarecki is in her 8th season with the Vikings in 2021, her 3rd in her role working with General Manager and her 1st season working within the Player Development department. In 2021, Zarecki serves as Special Assistant to the General Manager & Player Development Manager. Zarecki is responsible for coordinating the college scouting, player personnel and daily football operations as well as facilitating player programs primarily focusing on the rookies transition to the NFL. She is the Vikings main point of contact for the NFL Combine, assists with game week preparation, post-game football personnel reports, and scheduling for the GM and scouts. Zarecki joined the Vikings in March 2014 as a Marketing and Events intern and moved to Events Manager over five years. While working in events, Zarecki helped in planning and organizing some of the team’s major milestone ventures including the opening of U.S. Bank Stadium and Twin Cities Orthopedics Performance Center, the International Series in London, Vikings House for Super Bowl LII, Training Camp in Mankato and Eagan, as well as hosting Taste of the Vikings, Vikings Draft Party and other private and corporate partner events. In August 2019, Zarecki transitioned from the business side to the football side of the team as the Executive Assistant to the General Manager. In June 2021, her role evolved into her current one. A native of Stevens Point, WI, Zarecki has a degree in sport management from the University of Minnesota. She was involved in Gopher Athletics as a student, working at TCF Bank Stadium in stadium operations and for the Golden Gopher Fund events team.