TF #13

Tai Felton

Wide Receiver · Maryland

A Big Ten receptions and receiving-yards champion at Maryland, Tai Felton arrived in Minnesota with third-round expectations but spent his rookie year working from the outside in.

Tai Felton is a wide receiver who capped his Maryland career with a school-record, Big Ten-leading receiving season before the Minnesota Vikings selected him in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft. A Virginia native who overcame a senior-year ACL injury in high school, Felton's blend of speed and route-running made him a highly regarded prospect, even as his rookie season in Minnesota's crowded receiver room was limited.

★ Third-round pick (No. 102 overall) of the Minnesota Vikings in the 2025 NFL Draft

★ Led the Big Ten in receptions (96) and receiving yards (1,124) as a senior at Maryland in 2024

★ First-team All-Big Ten and third-team All-American in 2024

Path to the league

Felton committed to Maryland after a torn ACL as a senior at Stone Bridge High School in Ashburn, Virginia derailed a planned commitment to Virginia Tech. He developed steadily across four seasons with the Terrapins, capped by a senior year in which he caught a school-record 96 passes for 1,124 yards and nine touchdowns, leading the Big Ten in both catches and receiving yards. That performance, combined with a 4.37-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine, helped him land with the Vikings at pick 102 in the third round of the 2025 draft.

Career highlights

Felton earned first-team All-Big Ten and third-team All-American honors as a senior in 2024, following an All-American third-team nod as a junior. He posted five 100-yard receiving games in his final college season, the most of any receiver in the conference, and signed a four-year, $6.16 million rookie contract with Minnesota after being drafted.

2025 season recap

Felton's rookie season did not match his college production. He appeared in all 17 games but played just 49 offensive snaps, finishing with three receptions for 25 yards while contributing mainly on special teams behind Minnesota's veteran-heavy receiver group.