Modern offenses have two ways of getting an advantage using personnel: A) They can use three or four wide receivers to spread opposing team out and create favorable boxes for runs B) They can use bigger personnel with extra fullbacks and tight ends in order to force opponents into using extra linebackers. When the Minnesota Vikings drafted Irv Smith, they planted a flag in the ground for Option B.

We can expect Pro Bowl tight end Kyle Rudolph to still play somewhere in the range of 90 percent of snaps but if Smith shows in training camp that he can pick up the offense quickly, he could see a great deal of action.

Smith’s versatility at Alabama most intrigued the Vikings. During the 2018 season he lined up as an inline tight end, slot receiver, outside receiver and fullback.

Add his experience at different positions with above average speed (Smith had an 83rd percentile 40-yard dash per Mockdraftable) and the Vikings may have a unique weapon who can add significant value over what they received from receiving options not named Adam Thielen, Stefon Diggs or Rudolph last year.

But how can they maximize the dynamic talents of Smith? One way is by using a number of concepts that Kyle Shanahan implemented for star tight end George Kittle and fullback Kyle Juszczyk in 2018. Kittle caught 88 passes and averaged an unheard-of 15.6 yards per catch while Juszczyk tacked on 30 receptions at 10.8 yards a pop.

Here’s five ways the 49ers (who used a similar zone running scheme as the Vikings will in 2019) found ways to scheme up yards with the tight end and fullback.

Throws into the flat off zone run play-action

Shanahan repeatedly used play-action to get defenses flowing in one direction and then sent his tight end the other way. On the play below, Kittle lines up on the quarterback’s left and then comes back underneath the formation into the flat.

All indications from the offensive line and running back are that the play is a zone run to the left and that Kittle’s assignment will be to block Mike Hughes, who is rushing off the edge. Instead Kittle cruises right by Hughes for a big gain. Notice linebacker Eric Kendrick’s takes a hard jab to his right before realizing the play-fake.

The Vikings have used concepts similar to this with Kyle Rudolph in which he leaks out into the flat after a play-action (at Green Bay in 2018 comes to mind) but the veteran tight end doesn’t have the quickness to escape a linebacker of Kendricks’ speed to gain extra yards as Kittle did on this play. Smith was impressive in his yards after catch at ‘Bama.

Vertical routes

In college Smith was one of the top receivers on throws downfield. We don’t normally equate a big man as someone who can stretch the field — normally we think of a receiver with a 4.3 40-yard dash. But in Kittle’s case with the 49ers, teams had to constantly be aware that he could run a vertical route at any time.

On the play below, San Francisco spreads the field with two receivers outside the numbers, two receivers in the right slot and the tight end in the left slot. Against single-high safety coverage, Kittle takes off on a “go” route. With the high safety will be preoccupied with the underneath receiver and the fade route on the QB’s right, Kittle explodes by Harrison Smith, who was playing press coverage at the line of scrimmage.

If the Vikings can prove that Smith is a legitimately threat on vertical routes, opposing defenses will be more hesitant to use an extra safety up at the line of scrimmage against him, opening up underneath routes.

Personnel mismatches

When offenses use a fullback or two tight ends, it gives defenses two options: Either play in nickel with five cornerbacks and give the offense an edge in the running game or play three linebackers. The 49ers would often use either a fullback and tight end or two tight ends to create mismates between their fast tight end and the opponent’s multiple linebackers.

Below is an example of the 49ers using two tight ends and then giving a zone run look combined with a receiver sweep to create a personel mismatch and create confusing within the defense at the same time.

One tight end blocks while Kittle goes out and finds himself in space with a linebacker in zone coverage underneath. While he isn’t initially wide open, Kittle is savvy and quick enough to keep moving across the field into an open area, which has been created by the deep wide receiver on the left side of the formation.

Blocking deception

The 49ers found a number of ways to give the indication to defenses that they were running by using the offensive line and tight ends. On the play below, Kittle appears to be double team blocking the defensive end but instead both tight ends drop the block and run vertical routes. Detroit’s linebackers all collapse and then retreat toward the middle of the field anticipating a crossing route that would generally be used with a play-action look off a zone run. The Lions’ defenders left the tight ends thinking they were blockers, allowing both Kittle and Garrett Celek to be open.

While Smith is largely known as a route runner rather than a blocker the Vikings can use him to block just enough to convince opponents that he will occasionally be used as a blocker and then use delay routes.

Both TEs lined up as WRs

One of the ways offenses figure out what type of coverage they are facing is by lining up tight ends in receiver positions. The photo below shows the 49ers using Kittle and Juszczyk as the outside receivers. Detroit’s cornerbacks stay on the outside, giving the indication that Detroit is playing zone coverage. If it were man coverage, linebackers or safeties would have covered a tight end and fullback.

This simply makes life easier on the quarterback. At this point he has a strong idea of how the Lions are going to deal with the two inside receivers. So imagine Rudolph and Smith outside and Thielen and Diggs in the slot with Kirk Cousins having a good sense for how the opponent is going to cover his two superstar receivers. You can see the clear advantage.

Bottom line

Historically speaking tight ends struggle to adapt quickly to the NFL so Smith will have to prove during camp that he can grasp the Vikings offense and work his way on the field. But if he can make the jump to the NFL level the Vikings will have the dynamic weapon that they were severely lacking last year. Even if there are some struggles, there are still ways Smith can give the Vikings an edge.