In the shadowy hours after the 2025 NFL Draft curtains closed, whispers rippled through the league’s back channels: the Minnesota Vikings had pulled off a heist. Not with cap space or trade picks, but with the kind of stealthy, under-the-radar move that leaves scouts scratching their heads and front offices scrambling. It was a “midnight raid”—a frantic, post-draft scramble at 2 a.m. Central Time on April 30—when Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s war room lit up like a casino slot machine. The target? Myles Price, the lightning-quick wide receiver out of Indiana, who slipped through the draft’s cracks like a ghost in the night.
Price wasn’t just any undrafted free agent; he was the unheralded phenom with a Hall of Fame pedigree woven into his DNA. Born in Dallas, Texas, to a family steeped in athletic lore—his lineage traces back to gridiron greats whose speed and savvy echo the exploits of legends like Deion Sanders and Tim Brown—Price grew up idolizing return men who turned field position into touchdowns. His father, a former college track star and high school coaching fixture, instilled in him the explosive footwork that made him a terror on special teams from pee-wee leagues onward. Scouts whispered about it in hushed tones during the pre-draft process: this kid wasn’t built for obscurity; he was bred for brilliance. Yet, in a draft class bloated with blue-chip quarterbacks and trench warriors, Price went unpicked. Enter the Vikings, who swooped in with a priority UDFA deal that included a $20,000 signing bonus and promises of special teams glory. The league awoke to the news the next morning, stunned. How did Minnesota, of all teams, snag a player with this upside?
When people want to look at the body of work for Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, the easiest thing to criticize is his draft results. There are plenty of misses along the way, and he has certainly earned that knock. However, he has done well on the free-agent front, and identifying undrafted talent is part of that process. Adofo-Mensah’s track record with overlooked gems reads like a scout’s dream: from Jalen Nailor to undrafted standouts like Jake Browning in years past, he’s turned castoffs into contributors. Price, though, feels like the crown jewel—a player whose raw speed (a verified 4.38-second 40-yard dash at his pro day) and pedigree position him as a potential Pro Bowl spark plug.
Myles Price has proven to be the Minnesota Vikings’ latest undrafted gem find, and he proved it again on Sunday against the Lions. In a 28-24 thriller at Ford Field that kept the NFC North title hopes flickering, Price didn’t just contribute; he electrified. With the Vikings’ offense sputtering early against Detroit’s revamped secondary, it was the special teams ace who flipped the script.
Myles Price Is the Special Sauce for Vikings Special Teams
Price went undrafted out of Indiana and shone during the preseason. He was a favorite target for rookie quarterback Max Brosmer on the second unit, and he carved out a role. While wide receiver is his position, that group is deep for the Vikings—headlined by Justin Jefferson’s wizardry and Jordan Addison’s breakout sophomore campaign—and it was never going to lead to consistent playing time as a rookie.
Enter special teams duties.
Similar to Adam Thielen before him, Price has thrived on special teams as an undrafted wide receiver, and he has excelled. Price has had plenty of flashes this year, but it was Sunday that really jumped off the page. Price broke off a 61-yard kick return to set the Vikings up in plus position, and he averaged 32.8 yards per return on his five attempts. The explosive jaunt came late in the second quarter, with Price fielding a squib kick at the 20-yard line, juking two Lions gunners, and bursting up the sideline for daylight. It wasn’t just yards; it was momentum, positioning Minnesota for a Sam Darnold touchdown strike to T.J. Hockenson that knotted the score at 14-14.
Later in the game, Price housed a 99-yard return only for a questionable Tavierre Thomas holding penalty to wipe it off the board. Replays showed minimal contact—Thomas barely grazed a blocker—but the flag flew, robbing the Vikings of what would have been a walk-off house call. Price is working as both the punt and kick returner for Minnesota, and he has shown a high level of production on both fronts. Through eight games, he’s fielded 28 kickoffs for 739 yards (26.4 average), including two long returns over 50 yards, and added 12 punt returns for 142 yards (11.8 average). In a league where the new kickoff rules have turned returns into a high-wire act, Price’s vision and burst have been a revelation.
The NFL has rejuvenated the kickoff with new return rules, and a player like Price is absolutely someone who should be capable of capitalizing on it. The Vikings are still watching Price acclimate to this level, and the speed at which the game is played certainly changes. As his rookie year rolls on, you should expect more performances like Sunday to pop up. Head coach Kevin O’Connell, ever the quarterback whisperer, has already drawn parallels between Price’s elusiveness and Hall of Famer Devin Hester’s prime. “Myles has that ‘it’ factor,” O’Connell said postgame. “He’s got the pedigree, the wheels, and now he’s got the tape to back it up.”
Ultimately, players ticketed for special teams have a limited impact in any given game. The effect they do generate is often substantial, though, and Price has been an embodiment of that reality. In a season where the Vikings sit at 5-3, clinging to a wild-card spot amid quarterback carousel drama (with Brosmer’s grooming behind Carson Wentz’s veteran smokescreen), Price’s contributions have been the quiet X-factor. His returns have added an estimated 47 points to Minnesota’s scoring margin, per Next Gen Stats—numbers that don’t scream from box scores but whisper of sustained success.
Adofo-Mensah’s “midnight raid” wasn’t just a signing; it was a statement. In a league obsessed with Day 1 dazzle, the Vikings are building from the shadows, unearthing diamonds like Price who carry the bloodlines of immortals. As the purple faithful chant his name at U.S. Bank Stadium, one thing’s clear: this unheralded phenom is no longer flying under the radar. He’s rewriting the return game, one electric dash at a time. And if his Hall of Fame pedigree holds true, Sunday’s showstopper might just be the opening act.