Vikings Snap Counts: Rookie TE Irv Smith Jr. gets involved in Week 3
A week after losing a yard on his first catch as a pro, rookie tight end Irv Smith Jr. was the Minnesota Vikings' leading receiver Sunday against the Oakland Raiders.
Smith Jr. was targeted three times, finishing with three catches for 60 yards, five more than No. 1 receiver Adam Thielen. Only running back Dalvin Cook had more catches.
His playing time didn't change much in Week 3.
Smith was out-snapped 55-31 by fellow tight end Kyle Rudolph, appearing on 49% of the Vikings offense's snaps after playing 44.9% of the snaps through the first two games of the season.
Rudolph was targeted once, coming up just short of a touchdown on an 11-yard catch in the first quarter.
And while the Vikings signed Rudolph to a four-year extension in the offseason, they've clearly got big plans for the rookie.
A second-round pick, Smith racked up 44 catches for 710 yards and seven touchdowns in 15 games as a junior at Alabama last season, averaging 16.1 yards per catch.
Other notes from Sunday's snap counts:
-- Cook played on 60% of the offensive snaps, down slightly from his workload in Week 1 and Week 2. Rookie Alexander Mattison was on the field for a career-high 30%.
-- Linebacker Eric Wilson was the only defender to play all 59 of the Vikings' snaps on defense. Wilson, who started in place of the injured Anthony Barr, also led the Vikings with 11 tackles.
-- Second-year cornerback Mike Hughes made his season debut, playing 63% of the defense's snaps.
OFFENSE
| PLAYER | Plays (63) | % |
| Elflein | 63 | 100% |
| O'Neill | 63 | 100% |
| Bradbury | 63 | 100% |
| Reiff | 61 | 97% |
| Cousins | 61 | 97% |
| Rudolph | 55 | 87% |
| Thielen | 55 | 87% |
| Diggs | 44 | 70% |
| Kline | 41 | 65% |
| Cook | 38 | 60% |
| Smith Jr. | 31 | 49% |
| Ham | 26 | 41% |
| Dozier | 22 | 35% |
| Mattison | 19 | 30% |
| Conklin | 14 | 22% |
| Beebe | 14 | 22% |
| Johnson | 13 | 21% |
| Boone | 5 | 8% |
| Hill | 2 | 3% |
| Mannion | 2 | 3% |
| Abdullah | 1 | 2% |
DEFENSE
| PLAYER | Plays (59) | % |
| Wilson | 59 | 100% |
| Harris | 51 | 87% |
| Smith | 51 | 87% |
| Kendricks | 51 | 87% |
| Waynes | 47 | 80% |
| Rhodes | 47 | 80% |
| Hunter | 41 | 69% |
| Griffen | 41 | 69% |
| Hughes | 37 | 63% |
| Joseph | 36 | 61% |
| Stephen | 30 | 51% |
| Weatherly | 29 | 49% |
| J. Johnson | 22 | 37% |
| Mata'afa | 19 | 32% |
| Odenigbo | 18 | 31% |
| Gedeon | 18 | 31% |
| Boyd | 16 | 27% |
| Kearse | 12 | 20% |
| Brothers | 8 | 14% |
| Meadors | 8 | 14% |
| Epps | 8 | 14% |
