My Favorite (Other) Player

Being a fan of the Minnesota Vikings, I’ve seen many players come and go. There are always those players at other teams that you like and wonder what they would be like wearing the purple of the Vikings.

This is one of those players.

My favorite (other) player is;

Jimmy Graham - Tight End - Green Bay Packers

Jimmy Graham is a no-nonsense type of Tight End. His receiving yards and receptions are better than a lot of franchise wide receivers in the league. He`s a very likable character and has set franchise records with the various teams he has played for.

His early life was very hard, he had a very difficult upbringing.

Born in Goldsboro, North Carolina, he was placed in a group home by his mother at age 11. Here he was physically beaten and bullied by older children. He was adopted by a church youth counselor when he was in high school and he helped him improve his grades at school.

Graham became a basketball star as a senior at Community Christian in Wilson, North Carolina and also at Charis Prep, also in Wilson, North Carolina which is where he earned a basketball scholarship at Miami.

He played basketball for the Miami Hurricanes from 2005 to 2009.

He graduated from Miami but stayed to take graduate classes and play football for the Hurricanes.

It was this one season of football that attracted various scouts to watch him. He had outstanding speed for his size and was extremely athletic, yet he was considered raw as he had only played one season of football.

He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft, a 95th overall selection.

In his rookie season in 2010, he started 5 games as Jeremy Shockey was the Saints Starting tight end. In week 9 the Saints played the Panthers in Carolina, his first game in his home state, and he caught a 19-yard pass for his first career NFL touchdown. He Finished the season with 31 catches for 356 yards and 5 touchdowns.

In 2011, Graham had 99 receptions for 1310 yards and 11 touchdowns which lead to him being selected for his first Pro Bowl. He became the first Saints tight end in history to have more than 1000 receiving yards in a single season. He also tied the Saints franchise record for touchdowns in a single season with 11.

In 2012, he was ranked 14th overall in the 2012 NFL Top 100 players. He had a productive season with 85 receptions for 982 yards and 9 touchdowns.

In 2013, Graham lead the NFL in receiving touchdowns with 16. He was also banned from doing his trademark touchdown celebration of slam dunking the football over the goalpost as he infamously bent the goalpost when playing against the Atlanta Falcons.

Graham became a free agent in 2014. He and the Saints agreed on a 4-year deal with $21 million guaranteed and a total value of $40 million over 4 years, making Graham the highest paid tight end in the league. He would record 85 receptions for 889 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2014.

Graham was traded to the Seattle Seahawks in 2015 but suffered a torn right patellar tendon which ruled him out for the season.

In 2016, Graham finished the season with 923 yards with 65 receptions and 6 touchdowns. He was selected for the Pro Bowl which was his first as a Seahawk, and helped the Seahawks reach the Divisional playoffs against the eventual NFC Champions Atlanta Falcons. He again was selected for the Pro Bowl in 2017 which would be his fifth. He had 57 receptions for 520 yards and 10 touchdowns for the season.

This season will be his first season as a Green Bay Packer, signing a three-year, $30 million contract. He will no doubt be a great asset to the Packers which unfortunately will see him play regularly against my Vikings, but he still is a great tight end and I wish him the best as he fully deserves it.