As a teenager, Charlie Taumoepeau followed the exploits of former Eastern Washington wide receiver Cooper Kupp, admiring how Kupp destroyed the programs that had passed him over. Kupp received one scholarship offer coming out of high school in Yakima, Wash., but once at Eastern, he rewrote the record books, setting 26 school, 11 conference and 15 FCS records from 2013 to 2016.

Some of his most impressive performances came against the region’s biggest schools. He gashed Washington for 145 yards and three touchdowns in 2014 and racked up 246 yards and three touchdowns against Oregon the following season. “He always played on the big stage against the Pac-12 schools and always performed well,” Taumoepeau said.

Like Kupp, who will be entering his fourth season with the L.A. Rams in 2020, Taumoepeau (pronounced TOU-mo-PAY-ow) received just one offer out of high school in Federal Way, Wash. Once he signed with Portland State in 2016, he was determined to follow Kupp’s path through the Big Sky Conference to the NFL. To do that, Taumoepeau knew he needed to perform against the programs that had no time for him.

“Coming in, I kind of knew that playing in those big games, I just had to show out,” he said. “Obviously, doing those things will get you recognition, but it was a personal thing for me.”

Over the next four years, Taumoepeau averaged a healthy 16 yards per reception at tight end while becoming the Vikings’ best offensive weapon. And after playing sparingly against Washington in a matchup in Seattle during his freshman season, he delivered against the schools that overlooked him, averaging 19.8 yards per catch and a touchdown per contest in five games against FBS opponents. Such performances helped Taumoepeau get noticed by NFL scouts, and he is now less than a week away from possibly becoming the first Vikings player selected in the NFL Draft since 2011 — and only the fifth in a 22-year stretch.

Season Opponent Receptions Yards Touchdowns 2017 BYU 6 73 2017 Oregon State 4 52 2018 Nevada 3 130 2 2018 Oregon 5 125 2 2019 Arkansas 4 56 1 Totals 22 436 5

Taumoepeau amassed 117 receptions for 1,876 yards and 11 touchdowns during his four seasons at PSU, earning him opportunities in front of NFL decision-makers this winter. While he’s quiet off the field, his passion and energy for the game proved infectious. “He can be a spark,” tight ends/quarterbacks coach Evan Mozzochi said.

At 6-foot-2 and 240 pounds, he is not your typical NFL-sized tight end, but his speed makes him a difficult cover for linebackers, and his bulk allows him to body up smaller defensive backs. PSU moved Taumoepeau around the formation in an attempt to get him into favorable matchups. The same, Mozzochi said, could be accomplished at the NFL level. “Teams that have a need and a want at that position and can get creative with that position, he’d be awesome for them,” Mozzochi said.

Taumoepeau participated in the Senior Bowl in January, and in February he headed off to the NFL Scouting Combine, where he and a few other prospects conducted media interviews at small tables pushed off to the side while big-name players took the podiums.

“I don’t even know if I’m really supposed to be here,” he said. “I’m just really enjoying it.”

Taumoepeu’s athleticism was a question mark heading into the pre-draft process, but at the combine, he proved he belonged among the best tight ends in the country even if he didn’t rate highly enough to merit his own lectern. Taumoepeau’s high jump of 36 1/2 inches ranked third among players at his position. His broad jump of 121 inches ranked fourth. He ran the three-cone drill in 7.00 seconds, second-fastest, and he tied for the second-fastest in the 20-yard shuttle at 4.27 seconds. His 18 reps in the bench press tied for seventh. None of that satisfied the self-critical Taumoepeau, who in each instance believed he underperformed, nowhere more so than in the 40-yard dash, where he ran a 4.75, 10th out of 17 tight ends who ran.

“Knowing what I can do, I wanted to do better,” he said.

Taumoepeau is rarely satisfied with his performance. His father, Penieli, called him numerous times at the combine to urge him to relax and be happy with his showing. But Charlie’s competitive drive wouldn’t allow it. He wanted to do better. He eyed Portland State’s March 13 pro day as an opportunity to improve. That pro day never materialized, however, as the coronavirus pandemic shut down the U.S. sports world starting March 11.

Taumoepeau wouldn’t have a chance to improve on his combine numbers, but scouts told his agent, Erik Schmella, that he had already done enough to warrant an NFL opportunity. His Portland State teammates, on the other hand, weren’t as lucky after losing their only opportunity to make an impression. “I just really felt for my teammates,” Taumoepeau said.

Portland State has had 16 NFL draft picks dating to 1971. Having Taumoepeau become No. 17 could be a nice boost for the program that coach Bruce Barnum has helped rebuild, going from 0-11 in 2017 to 5-7 last year. In January, PSU held a big recruiting weekend that just happened to fall on the day when Taumoepeau played in the Senior Bowl. Barnum made sure to have the game playing on television so recruits could see that becoming a Vikings player could lead them to the NFL.

Taumoepeau laughed when told about Barnum’s strategy. “That sounds like him to put something cool together like that,” Taumoepeau said. “He’s good with that stuff. That’s why we’ve been having good recruiting classes, because of coach Barnum and his personality.”

The last Portland State player selected in the NFL Draft was tight end Julius Thomas, taken by Denver in the fourth round in 2011. His seven-year NFL career included two Pro Bowl berths and a Super Bowl appearance with Peyton Manning and the Broncos after the 2013 season. Thomas was helped by going to a team that allowed him to develop and maximize his skills, and Taumoepeau hopes to follow the same path.

One NFL scout pegged Taumoepeau as a late-round prospect with upside, noting that while he might not have prototypical size, Taumoepeau’s athletic ability, fluidity, feet and cutting ability are above average for the position. He might lack polish as a route runner, but he shows an ability to rack up yards after the catch. “Once he has the ball, he’s a dude,” Barnum said.

His biggest issue was blocking, which the scout said simply wasn’t good enough, especially given the level of competition Taumoepeau faced in the Big Sky.

Taumoepeau knows he must work on his blocking — in his 2020 NFL Draft Guide, our Dane Brugler called him a “try-hard blocker” — and said he thought he showed improvement during Senior Bowl week and has made working on his footwork while blocking one of his offseason priorities. During Senior Bowl practices, Taumoepeau also played some fullback, something he said he is open to doing in the NFL.

“When it comes to football, I’m like a sponge,” he said.

Taumoepeau, whose brother John is a star defensive tackle at powerhouse Eastside Catholic High School in Sammamish, Wash., has been living in an apartment in Bellevue, Wash., as he trains and awaits the draft. He said that he hasn’t felt nervous yet and hasn’t been concerned about what round he will get drafted in. COVID-19 lockdowns have meant that teams can’t conduct in-person visits or interviews with players before the draft, which has led to video calls with teams. Taumoepeau said he’s had such interviews with Philadelphia, Indianapolis and Tennessee, while media reports have connected him to the Packers, 49ers, Falcons and Cardinals. Schmella said he thought Taumoepeau would fit well on a team like Arizona, which often flexes its tight end and throws the ball a ton.

“Based on the conversations we’ve been having, the expectation is that he gets drafted,” said Schmella. “We tell these guys that the draft is crazy, so anything can happen, be ready for it. It’s just about getting in the door and making the most out of it.”

Taumoepeau is trying hard not to get ahead of himself as the pre-draft process winds down. “I’m the type of guy where I’m not hearing any of that sweet talk until you pull the trigger,” he said with a laugh. “I’m pretty sure I get that from my dad, because we’re kind of the same way. I never believe anything until it’s concrete.”

However he gets there, Taumoepeau will almost certainly find himself in an NFL camp once such activities resume. That’s when he will set upon the next step in his journey, following the path set forth by Thomas, Kupp and other small-school prospects.

“In a way, (Kupp) kind of opened the door and made kids like me believe,” Taumoepeau said. “I’m kind of trying to do my part to inspire the next generation.”

(Photo: Loren Orr / Getty Images)