Tennessee football graduate Micah Abernathy was not selected in the NFL Draft. But the former Volunteers safety signed with the Minnesota Vikings.
After being shut out of the NFL Draft, Micah Abernathy was among the first former Tennessee football players to make news as an undrafted free agent. The Vols defensive back, who played with the program for four years, signed with the Minnesota Vikings.
Abernathy was never expected to be taken in the draft given his inconsistent play throughout his career. Also, he was the one to confirm what happened by announcing his signing with the Vikings on Twitter.
Despite struggling with consistency, Abernathy was always a smart player. And he did have to suffer through three different defensive coordinators and two different defensive schemes while playing with Tennessee football, so it’s understandable that he would struggle at times.
One of the descendants of Civil Rights icon Ralph Abernathy, Micah Abernathy was part of the Abernathy family that had numerous members commit to play for Butch Jones. But he stayed on with the Vols, amidst the switch to the 3-4 defense, as Jeremy Pruitt came along.
He only had two interceptions for his career, and they both came in 2016, but Abernathy has seven career tackles for a loss and showed himself to be a versatile player on numerous occasions. As a result, he could have a chance at success with Minnesota.
Minnesota did need help in the secondary, but they already have three experienced safeties on the roster. So Abernathy is not a player who figures to see a lot of action this year, but when it comes to depth, this is not a bad place for him to learn.
Even if he doesn’t start this year or even play with the Vikings, this is a good situation for Abernathy to raise his profile. He does have some weaknesses, as he showed through four years with Tennessee football, and this is a great chance for him to improve upon those. Minnesota is not one of the best spots for him to land, but it’s an okay spot.
