DAILY CLIPS

SUNDAY, JUNE 21, 2020 LOCAL NEWS: Sunday, June 21, 2020

Star Tribune

Dads being dads: Minnesota sports figures cherish time with families By Michael Rand https://www.startribune.com/dads-being-dads-minnesota-sports-figures-cherish-time-with-families/571391372/

NATIONAL NEWS: Sunday, June 21, 2020

CBS Sports

Ranking top 10 RBs for 2020 NFL season: Todd Gurley aims for redemption, Christian McCaffrey sets new standard By Patrik Walker https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/ranking-top-10-rbs-for-2020-nfl-season-todd-gurley-aims-for-redemption-christian- mccaffrey-sets-new/

Maven Media

85 Days Until Vikings Football: Can Track Star Dan Chisena Stick in the NFL? By Will Ragatz https://www.si.com/nfl/vikings/news/85-days-vikings-football-dan-chisena-penn-state-track

MULTIMEDIA NEWS: Sunday, June 21, 2020

Vikings Offseason Workouts By KSTP http://mms.tveyes.com/PlaybackPortal.aspx?SavedEditID=0858b027-f8a9-476f-877a-fc1826d9f086

PUBLICATION: Star Tribune DATE: 6/21/20

Dads being dads: Minnesota sports figures cherish time with families

By Michael Rand

If 2020 were a normal year, Derek Falvey knows exactly where he would have been on Sunday for Father’s Day: Target Field.

The Twins would be wrapping up a four-game series with the Yankees, and Falvey, the organization’s president of baseball operations, would be putting in a long day at the ballpark.

This is not, of course, a normal year. And Falvey is pretty sure where he will be instead on Sunday: Exploring a Twin Cities park or trail and having a picnic with wife Meghan, son Jack (4) and daughter Brynn (1).

Coronavirus has put a lot of what we take for granted on pause, including major U.S. sports since the middle of March. While it’s hard to find silver linings in the midst of a global health pandemic, Falvey is just one of several highly visible Minnesota sports figures determined to make the most of another aspect of their lives during this unique, challenging time: being a dad to children still in their formative years.

Players, coaches and sports executives normally wired for the long hours demanded by their hypercompetitive careers have scaled back both intentionally and out of necessity to achieve a better work-life balance — sometimes, quite literally, as their kids suddenly burst into the room during Zoom calls.

The consensus among them: Even as dedicated dads before, they have seen these past few months as an opportunity to grow.

“I think the best way to phrase it is that I’m a more present dad,” said Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph, who along with wife Jordan has twin 3-year-old daughters, Andersyn and Finley, and 1-year-old son Henry. “It’s an incredibly unique opportunity to spend the amount of time together that we’ll never have again. For my wife and I, for the kids. We’ll never be in this same situation again.”

Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph with wife Jordan, twin three-year-old daughters Andersyn and Finley and 1-year-old son Henry Making the most of this time

Former Gophers and NFL receiver Ron Johnson and his wife, Shani Marks Johnson — a former Gophers track and field star who competed in the triple jump at the 2008 Beijing Olympics — pride themselves on having a close family and involved parents to Kamryn, 9, and Quinn, 5.

They perhaps made the stay-at-home transition as seamless as possible, with Marks Johnson using her skills as a substitute teacher to educate the girls while Johnson toggled between Zoom calls and family time at their Chanhassen home.

The closeness combined with extra time together in recent months has allowed them to help foster the charitable and entrepreneurial spirit of Kamryn, who along with a group of friends has gained nationwide attention for starting Bracelets for Unity and Justice — an endeavor that has raised nearly $100,000 for relief efforts in Minneapolis in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death.

“It’s been great for our neighborhood and families in our neighborhood to be able to learn and have the ability to come talk to us and strike up a conversation about everything that’s been going on,” said Johnson, who was out Thursday in Plymouth with Kamryn helping sell the handmade bracelets.

That spirit is echoed by Gersson Rosas, Timberwolves president of basketball operations.

The Wolves’ season ended abruptly March 11 when the NBA shut down. It was barely a month after Rosas had made a flurry of trades to reshape the roster, and it was less than a year into his tenure with the organization. But instead of worrying about what was lost, Rosas set about trying to determine what could be gained.

Some of it revolved around new processes to keep the Wolves moving forward. But much of it had to do with what Rosas called “the most rewarding part of this time period”: slowing down, putting down stronger roots in Minnesota and getting to see the daily, up-close development of his twin 4-year-olds, Grayson and Giana.

Rosas realized how much time he typically spends on the road when Grayson complained that Dad is always “in his spot” now when he tries to sneak into his parents’ bed at night.

“I constantly push our organization and staff — whether we’re talking about COVID, the tragedy of George Floyd or anything else — to turn negatives into positives and find silver linings,” Rosas said. “If I’m preaching that to our staff, I have to own it at home, too.”

He’s watched his son get interested in sports and heard his daughter ask questions about his job. Rosas has appreciated how effortlessly his wife, Susana, handles many of the tasks that are now divided more equally.

A survey in the midst of the pandemic of 1,060 parents revealed that nearly half of all dads reported spending more time on housework and taking care of young children than they did previously. Past research also suggests that at least some of that shift in responsibility could become permanent.

“Knowing I have a regular responsibility to help, even with meetings, work, everything going on, you really put into perspective what’s valuable,” Rosas said. “I’ll take this experience as something that changed my relationship with my kids.”

He and Ryan Saunders talk about fatherhood often, with Rosas providing counsel to Saunders — who became a dad last June, right around the time Rosas removed the interim label and hired him as Wolves head coach.

Saunders is on morning duty with his son, Lucas, who just turned 1 and is an early riser like his dad. They go for a walk in the morning, and they play basketball on a newly installed driveway hoop in the evening as Saunders and his wife, Hayley, the managing editor and associate publisher at Artful Living Magazine, juggle their work responsibilities.

Timberwolves coach Ryan Saunders and his son, Lucas, who recently turned 1. Saunders misses coaching, game-planning and the thrill that comes from competition. But he didn’t miss some pretty big milestones.

“He’s used to having two parents home now,” Saunders said. “The fact that I’m getting to spend time with Lucas, being home for his first steps, for his first words, is pretty special.”

All you can do is laugh

Richard Pitino’s Gophers men’s basketball team was in the midst of the Big Ten tournament when play was halted and the season was ultimately canceled.

He went from hoping his team could string enough wins together to grab an NCAA tournament bid to trying to figure out how to communicate with his returning players and recruit in the midst of a pandemic — all while sharing with his wife, Jill, distance learning duties and other new responsibilities for Ava (9), Jack (6) and Zoe (3).

It hasn’t all been perfect, but even the imperfections — Pitino’s family bought him Father’s Day balloons last Sunday, mistakenly thinking that was his big day — make you smile.

Pitino estimates that at least one of his kids has made an impromptu appearance on a video call “75 percent of the time,” and that he’s found that “whenever I get a phone call, the children just gravitate toward my voice.” He jokes that if he has a really important video call, he’ll at least make sure all the kids are wearing clothes.

But he also takes his role as a dad seriously.

“If you’re lazy as a father, your kids are going to be lazy. If you’re not on top of their habits, it’s going to affect their personality and development. So you’d better be invested,” Pitino said. “We’re all they have right now. Their health, their safety, their maturity, all of it is in your hands, your wife’s hands. It’s been fun, but it’s been eye-opening.”

Rudolph can relate to the “video bombs.” It’s been a regular occurrence from his three kids — both during the Vikings’ virtual offseason program and as he’s started taking online summer classes at Notre Dame.

“ ‘Daddy, why are you in school?’ ” Rudolph said, imitating his daughters. “They want to walk up and see the professor lecture. Henry would walk up during virtual meetings and just pop in. If it was a regular offseason, I’d be at work all day and not see that. It’s fun to see the chaos.”

Shortly after spring training was halted, and before everyone became Zoom experts, Falvey recalls being on a video call with executives from every other team in baseball and trying to navigate the mute button and turning his screen off after his son walked into the room and his daughter woke up from a nap.

“I thought, ‘This is a little different,’ ” Falvey said. “I know I have a lot of balls to juggle from time to time at work, but to have the kids and call going at the same time was something I hadn’t expected.”

Now it’s just the new reality. A Twins season that would be close to half over hasn’t even started, and a home run counter that reached an MLB-record 307 last season is stuck on zero Bombas.

There’s nothing Falvey can do about that. He could check in with fellow executives (or scroll Twitter, as he often does) to find out the latest on baseball’s return-to-play status. He could imagine what a packed Target Field might have looked like this weekend for a huge series against the Yankees.

Or, like so many of his peers in sports, he can find joy in being a dad.

“I try to have balance, but I know our jobs are difficult and we’re usually going full speed ahead,” Falvey said. “But I feel like I’ve deepened my relationship with my kids and my wife during the course of this time in a way that I will always appreciate. There’s uniqueness and challenges in this time, but that part I wouldn’t trade for anything.”

PUBLICATION: CBS Sports DATE: 6/21/20

Ranking top 10 RBs for 2020 NFL season: Todd Gurley aims for redemption, Christian McCaffrey sets new standard

By Patrik Walker

Rumor has it running backs don't matter, but I suppose that logic depends upon which ones you're talking about. For when it comes to assessing the best in the NFL at the position, you're hard-pressed to keep that argument going, knowing full-well not everyone can do what they do -- when/if given the chance. It's the reason the Dallas Cowboys awarded Ezekiel Elliott a historic contract despite re-signing Alfred Morris as insurance during his 2019 holdout, and only months after drafting Tony Pollard.

It's also why the New York Giants will do the same for Saquon Barkley or risk losing him in the future, and not long after the Carolina Panthers threw an entire Wells Fargo at Christian McCaffrey. And then there's the looming Derrick Henry contract with the Tennessee Titans, so forth and so on. Detractors point to the Todd Gurley contract divorce from the Los Angeles Rams, but are reports of his demise accurate?

Or exceedingly premature?

A myriad of variables determine how successful a running back will be at the NFL level, and the bottom line is not all of them are created equal. That becomes deathly clear when attempting to identify the best in all of football. The following 10 players have proven to be in a league of their own, in one way or several.

Translation: They matter.

10. , Vikings MIN • RB • 33 There's no doubt Cook has shown he's one of the best running backs in all of football.

The problem for the former second-round pick is while that's obviously true, so are questions surrounding his durability -- his battle with injuries having tied down his potential prior to 2019. Cook burst onto the scene in his rookie scene by taking the franchise record for single-game rushing yards from Adrian Peterson, running for 127 yards in his NFL debut, but wound up with only 354 rushing yards and two touchdowns that year after suffering a torn ACL that sidelined him after Week 4.

He'd miss more time in Year 2 due to hamstring issues before breaking out last season, and subsequently holding out with the hopes of commanding a more "respectable" contract offer from the Vikings. Cook has not yet proven more than the others on this list but, that said, he's a force when he's healthy.

The only question is, can he stay that way in 2020 and beyond?

9. Todd Gurley, Falcons ATL • RB • Remember this guy?

It's easy to take the lazy route and write off Gurley as damaged goods, but there's nothing that actually indicates he's damaged -- unsubstantiated narratives and headlines aside. Gurley is only two years removed from having been made the highest-paid running back in NFL history, and he was awarded that contract (and early) by the Los Angeles Rams for a reason. The team released him this offseason in a move that felt more for cap workings and to end a mushrooming rift with head coach Sean McVay than due to an actual regression on the field, considering Gurley delivered 1,064 yards from scrimmage and 14 touchdowns in 2019, and he did it despite seeing his utilization scaled down by McVay.

A three-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro, Gurley heads home to Georgia to rebuild his brand with the Atlanta Falcons -- having accumulated 4,988 yards from scrimmage and 54 touchdowns in the last three seasons alone and not missing more than two regular season games since his 2015 rookie season.

Gurley is still one of the best in the business, and I fully expect to place him back in the top five come 2021.

8. Leonard Fournette, Jaguars JAC • RB • 27 This just in: Fournette is still very good at .

Things got scathingly close at this point of the list, because I easily (and was readily willing to) put Gurley above Fournette, but there's something to be said for a guy who racks up for 1,674 yards from scrimmage -- including an 81-yard spurt -- on a drowning team like the Jacksonville Jaguars. The club bounced back and forth between Nick Foles and rookie Gardner Minshew over the course of the season, but Fournette provided a steady hand through it all.

Some argue he hasn't played equal to his draft status as a former fourth-overall pick but, questions about his attitude included, you're left wondering if it's all more attributable to the toxic environment in North Florida than his ability. He might not be with the Jaguars much longer and, if so, his new team would love to have a guy who posted 3,016 yards from scrimmage and 13 touchdowns in two of his three NFL seasons.

Fournette didn't get his wish in having the team sign Cam Newton in 2020, and must now again be the anchor for Minshew, but he's already proven he can do it -- fairly easily.

7. Chris Carson, Seahawks SEA • RB • 32 Not mentioning Carson in the upper echelon of RBs is weird, because he deserves the nod.

The problem is not many outside of the Pacific Northwest would include him in the conversation, and maybe it's because he operates in the shadow of Russell Wilson and the Seahawks passing attack. There's also the fact he's tasked with being a star in a post-Marshawn Lynch era -- increasing the level of difficulty as it pertains to being recognized for his abilities. Make no mistake about it though, Carson gets the job done in all ways possible. You won't see his name plastered across the Pro Bowl banners or on primetime football lead-ins, but ask Wilson and head coach Pete Carroll what the 25-year-old means to Seattle.

Before suffering a fractured hip in late December, Carson blew past 1,300 scrimmage yards and posting nine touchdowns for the second consecutive season, landing on 1,496 total in 15 starts. He followed up his breakout 2018 season by leveling up beyond it in 2019, and his 2020 looks exceedingly bright. Like Cook, he simply needs to remain healthy but, unlike Cook, we've seen him dominate for nearly two full seasons now.

On a list full of former first- and second-round picks, this former seventh-round pick is getting it out of the mud and has earned a hearty salute.

6. Joe Mixon, Bengals CIN • RB • 28 If you think Fournette has it bad...

Allow me to introduce you to Mixon, who is an insanely talented player on literally the worst team in the entire NFL. Sure, things are [again] looking up for the Bengals, on the heels of grabbing quarterback Joe Burrow with the first- overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, but Mixon has been one cooking with Crisco for quite some time now. Since joining the Bengals as their 48th-overall pick in 2017, the team has stumbled to a forgettable 15-33 record, but not because of Mixon. A weapon out of the backfield as either a runner or a receiver, his last two seasons have seen him accumulate 2,888 yards from scrimmage and 17 touchdowns.

Consider he's done this with a carousel of questionable QB play and an overall lack of a downfield threat to take the pressure off of him -- A.J. Green having been repeatedly sidelined with foot issues -- and despite changes to the coaching staff in Year 3.

On any given Sunday, Mixon can adapt to whatever the opposing defense gives him. If he needs to play bully ball, he'll do it. If he needs to stretch linebackers thin with screen passes and force an imbalance in the secondary, he can do that as well. There weren't many bright spots in Cincinnati before Burrow landed, but Mixon has become a lighthouse for Bengals fans desperately looking for something positive to hold onto.

He must now help Burrow hit the ground running, and all signs indicate he'll have no trouble doing so.

5. Nick Chubb, Browns CLE • RB • 24 Chubb is no stranger to struggling in Ohio, either.

Well, to be more accurate, he's no stranger to being on a struggling team, because as an individual -- he's been stellar. Being forced to share the load with Carlos Hyde and Duke Johnson in his rookie season barely put a dent in what he did on the field, pushing them both out of the way (and eventually off of the team) en route to 996 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns in only nine starts. Fully unleashed in Year 2, the former second-round pick exploded for 1,494 rushing yards (1,772 from scrimmage) and emerged as one of the top five best running backs in all of football.

Like Gurley, Chubb is a former Georgia Bulldog who has proven he can dominate at the NFL level as a runner and a receiver -- landing honors as a Pro Bowler in his first season as a full-time starter. The Browns, yet again, have a lot to figure out, but the running back position isn't one of those things. Chubb is an animal by any and all measure, and the fact Cleveland was able to secure him without using a first-round pick is a coup.

Aggressive. Fast. Sure-handed. Physical. Durable. Intelligent.

Chubb is a premier back who, as crazy as it sounds, hasn't hit his peak yet. That'll happen when Baker Mayfield and the passing attack can start consistently stretching the field, leaving opposing defenses with the inability to stack the box against Chubb. Once that begins to happen, not even Animal Control will be able to get this dawg back in the cage.

4. Derrick Henry, Titans TEN • RB • 22 The King is here.

Yes, you can attribute some of the turnaround in Nashville to Ryan Tannehill. For the most part, however, it was Henry strapping the Titans on his back and bulldozing through opponents in 2019. When Tannehill couldn't get things going, Henry took the ball and became a man possessed -- especially when it mattered most. In the playoffs, he rushed for an eye-popping 182 yards and 195 yards respectively in the upsets over both the New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens, and on the road... and with both teams throwing the kitchen sink at him. He could only be stopped by the eventual Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, but the aforementioned playoff performances let everyone know his regular season was no fluke.

And what a regular season it was, with Henry taking the NFL rushing title with a career-high 1,540 yards to go along with 16 rushing touchdowns, and those who believed he was simply a bowling ball found out he can navigate around the pins at-will; as evidenced in the All-Pro adding another 321 receiving yards to his resume last season.

Henry has gotten better every season at the NFL level, and it correlates directly with having been crowned the full- time starter in 2018. And now that he has the throne in Tennessee, he's not giving it up.

3. Saquon Barkley, Giants NYG • RB • 26 "Whoa."

That's the thought you've often had during one of Barkley's many highlight plays, and there have been quite a bit of them already as he readies for his third year in the NFL. Despite his prowess at Penn State, some were concerned NFL teams were placing too high of a value on the position when the Giants opted to select Barkley with the second- overall pick only two seasons after the rival Dallas Cowboys used a fourth-overall pick on Ezekiel Elliott and one year after the Panthers took Christian McCaffrey eighth-overall, but bollocks to that.

Barkley is a generational talent that can't be replaced with the next man up on the roster, and anyone who believes so is basically saying the Giants could plug in anyone and get 3,469 yards from scrimmage and 23 touchdowns, and with two different QBs -- on an offense with an afterthought of a passing attack. That, to me, is the equivalent of saying all Daenerys Stormborn needed was three canaries to take the Iron Throne, because "they can fly, too".

Good luck with that.

Whether it was a turnover-prone Eli Manning in 2018 or a rookie in Daniel Jones who tossed his share of interceptions the following year, every team lining up against the Giants knows the only task at hand has been to stop Barkley. Still, they've mostly been unable to do it, and it's because he's one of the best halfbacks this league has ever seen. If Barkley continues playing at his current pace, he'll have a bust in Canton, Ohio when he hangs up his cleats.

2. Ezekiel Elliott, Cowboys DAL • RB • 21 Spoiler alert: Zeke is still Zeke.

Elliott set the stage for running backs like McCaffrey and Barkley to be taken with high picks in 2017 and 2018, respectively, because he proved the Cowboys right when they added him to the roster in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft. Elliott shattered records long-held by legends like Emmitt Smith and Tony Dorsett, and was easily Rookie of the Year if not for the fact he happened to be slightly overshadowed by the emergence of fourth-round pick Dak Prescott that very season.

Still, he was able to garner First-Team All-Pro honors, a Pro Bowl nod and the crown as NFL rushing leader in his first year out, and he's not looked back since. Elliott is now a two-time rushing champ, two-time All-Pro, three-time Pro Bowler who hasn't missed a single game in four seasons due to injury and is only one year removed from posting a career-best 2,001 yards from scrimmage. Those alleging he took a step back in 2019 are willfully ignoring what truly happened, in that Prescott and the passing attack took a step forward under the tutelage of first-year offensive coordinator Kellen Moore.

Despite the newfound passing prowess in Dallas, Elliott remains the lynchpin in the offense, rushing for 1,357 yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground -- adding 420 receiving yards to his 2019 stat line as well. If that's a step back, then it tells you just how far ahead of the class he was before. For perspective, only Henry, Chubb and McCaffrey rushed for more yards last season than did Elliott, and only Henry and McCaffrey had more rushing TDs. If the addition of Mike McCarthy sees Elliott utilized more in the passing attack, his full potential will finally be tapped because, believe it or not, it still hasn't.

That should terrify defenses who couldn't stop him when they stacked the box, and now face a receiving corps that dares them to keep trying. Expect nothing less from a guy even COVID-19 can't tackle.

1. Christian McCaffrey, Panthers CAR • RB • 22 Run CMC.

Things get dicey when approaching the top of this list -- given the stratospheric level of talent -- but it's hard to argue McCaffrey being anywhere but atop of the hill. Both Elliott and Barkley, along with others on this list, have the ability to catch out of the backfield as well, but what the Panthers have unleashed in McCaffrey feels like an absolute cheat code. He's as much of a wide receiver as he is a running back, but he's still very much the latter, racking up rushing yards and rushing touchdowns at a blistering pace, and his 2,392 yards from scrimmage (and 19 touchdowns) in 2019 was downright disrespectful to opposing defenses.

He was rewarded this offseason when the Panthers leapfrogged him over Elliott as the highest-paid running back in NFL history, which sets the stage for Barkley to take the financial throne in the near future, but the Giants as a football team might never require Barkley to be what McCaffrey is in Carolina.

In case you didn't do the math above, McCaffrey was both a 1,000-yard rusher and 1,000-yard receiver in 2019, and he's even been known to return kicks and punts. The two-time All-Pro is a renaissance man -- the likes of which have been rarely seen in the NFL -- making him the best in the land. As the Panthers work to move on from Ron Rivera and Cam Newton, they'll look to the spry 24-year-old to continue carpet-bombing the league going forward.

Show me the person who doubts McCaffrey can, and I'll show you how to sell them the Brooklyn Bridge. PUBLICATION: Maven Media DATE: 6/21/20

85 Days Until Vikings Football: Can Track Star Dan Chisena Stick in the NFL?

By Will Ragatz

As we count down the days until the Vikings' opener against the Packers on September 13th, InsideTheVikings will be previewing every single player on the roster. The amount of days remaining corresponds with the jersey number of the player being examined on that day. Today is June 20th, and there are 85 days until kickoff for the 2020 regular season. Our next player preview is a wide receiver with unlikely NFL dreams.

Countdown to Vikings-Packers on September 13th: 85 Days

Player Preview: Dan Chisena (No. 85, Wide Receiver) College: Penn State Drafted: 2020 UDFA NFL experience: N/A Age: 23 (Birthday was in February) Size: 6'3", 202 2019 PFF Grade: N/A Notable 2019 stats (NCAA): 3 catches, 66 receiving yards, 4 tackles Three catches for 66 yards.

Those were the career stats for Vikings receiver Dan Chisena during his time at Penn State. 99.9 percent of college football players with numbers like those are moving on to non-football careers after graduation.

Chisena is a unique case. Why? Because size, speed, and athleticism can sometimes outweigh college production in the eyes of the NFL. And Chisena, who stands 6'3", 202 and ran a 4.32 40 during the pre-draft process, is now the fastest player on the Vikings' entire 87-man roster. He may not have a ton of experience as a receiver, but he has an elite trait that can be directly applied to a specific area of the game.

Chisena grew up in Downington, PA, about 45 minutes west of Philadelphia. He starred in football and track in high school, but his only college football offer came from Delaware, his dad's alma mater. Chisena chose to attend Penn State instead, where he was able to walk on to both teams. After redshirting for the Nittany Lions during his freshman year in 2015, he accepted a track scholarship, even though it meant he had to step away from football

From 2016 to the spring of 2018, Chisena focused on track and turned into a star sprinter. "I made the decision to help out my family financially and try to excel at one sport instead of be average at two," he told Vikings.com. He was a key piece of Penn State's 4x100 and 4x400 relay teams that set school records and competed in the NCAA championships.

In 2018, Chisena tore his hamstring and re-evaluated his plans. He wound up deciding he wanted to return to the football team, and head coach James Franklin welcomed him back. Chisena spent that season on the scout team and appeared in just two games, but in 2019 – his fifth and final year of eligibility – he finally seized a role.

It started in spring practice, where Chisena impressed as a receiver and on special teams. In Penn State's spring game, he hauled in a long touchdown pass and was greeted by Franklin's voice announcing over a megaphone that he had received a scholarship for the season. In a September win over Maryland, Chisena made a highlight-reel 40- yard catch for his first collegiate reception. He would later add a six-yard catch against Purdue and a 20-yarder against Minnesota.

StateCollege.com @StateCollegecom · Sep 27, 2019 Ricky Slade gets in from 3 yards out to cap a 95-yard drive.

Penn State 21, Maryland 0. 13:23 2nd quarter

StateCollege.com @StateCollegecom Key play on PSU's scoring drive: Dan Chisena hauls in a 40 yard pass with a Maryland defender hanging on him

However, most of Chisena's value to the Nittany Lions came as a gunner on their punt coverage team, where his speed and size shined. He made two tackles in a big win over Michigan and recovered a muffed punt against Penn State. If he's able to stick around in the NFL, his ability on special teams will be the reason why.

Chisena got on NFL radars with a huge performance at the SPIRAL Tropical Bowl in January, a lower-tier showcase game in Florida. He caught touchdown passes of 55 and 69 yards, finishing with five catches for 155 yards, and was named the game's MVP. He later ran a 4.32 40, which would've been the second-fastest time among all players at the 2020 NFL combine.

FloFootball @FloFootball Flacco does it again!

This time the @Towson_FB QB hits @PennStateFball wide receiver Dan Chisena for the long touchdown.

His speed and size were enough for the Vikings to give Chisena $60,000 guaranteed to sign as a college free agent, the third-most guaranteed money given to any of their 12 UDFAs. During training camp and the preseason, the former track star will battle to earn a spot on the roster or practice squad through special teams.

In a best-case scenario, Chisena could follow the path of , who went from UDFA to NFL punt gunner to Pro Bowl receiver. The differences there are that while Chisena is an inch taller and much faster than Thielen, Thielen had a highly productive college career at WR.

Size and speed alone aren't enough to last in the NFL (just ask Moritz Böhringer). To earn a spot, Chisena will have to become an ace punt gunner and continue developing as a receiver. But given the guaranteed money he received and his athletic upside, I wouldn't be surprised to see him at least stick around on the practice squad in 2020.