A.J. Rose shining in preseason role with Minnesota Vikings
Would you believe me if I told you that Kanye West dropped Donda? What if I said that A.J. Rose could get some meaningful touches for the Minnesota Vikings this season?
If either declaration was made as early as this summer, people would question your cognitive ability and potentially call for your excommunication from society. Kanye had been teasing different albums for almost four years now, settling with an abomination of a Gospel album a couple years ago. Everyone gave up on Ye, we were all tired of waiting and being bamboozled by this man promising us music. We gave up, looking towards the new, hot artist that will give our brains any type of serotonin secretion.
Then from the clouds, with untrusted rumors swirling around for months, Donda finally came. Kanye is back to show the world that the most talented producer to ever walk the planet is still shining. To teach us that he never fell off, we just forgot the joy he consistently brought. So, how does this apply to A.J. Rose?
A.J. Rose quietly grinding
Rose was one of the quietly unappreciated talents in Lexington over the past few years while putting on the pads. Despite having to take a second-hand role to guys like Benny Snell and eventually Chris Rodriguez, Rose quietly put together one of the more impressive careers as a Wildcat. He was never the bell cow running back for the team nor really ever their top option. His authentic demeanor and work-ethic kept allowing him to see touches, quietly inserting himself into the top-10 all time rushing leaderboard at the university.
Like a majority of ‘Cats going into the 2021 NFL Draft, Rose had uncertainty surrounding his status as a draftable prospect. Because of that and a lack of one elite attribute to his game, Rose went undrafted. He was soon scooped up by the Minnesota Vikings as a free-agent. Despite not getting drafted, Minnesota seems like a pretty favorable spot for him. He’s used to the role as a backup ready to pick up yards at any time. The Vikings have arguably the best back in the league with Dalvin Cook. Rose has been fighting against Alexander Mattison and Ameer Abudllah for a roster spot. As if anyone in Lexington would be shocked to hear this anymore, Rose is making a serious case to make the roster.
Rose Impressing through the preseason
Through three preseason games, Rose has been shining with his limited opportunity. The Ohio native is averaging over four yards a carry and added a couple of touchdowns in the final game this week. He started off the preseason on an absolutely heater with a 100-yard performance against the Broncos. His touches went down significantly since the first game, but that’s also a result of the starters playing more minutes.
There’s no guarantee that Rose makes the 53-man roster this season. The preseason does show us, however, that he’s still committed to working to get on the field.
Now go be like Kanye and come back into our lives, A.J.
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