The Minnesota Vikings have plucked Jose Valdez, a promising practice squad offensive lineman, from the Atlanta Falcons and signed him to a future contract, according to Yahoo! Sports' Gil Alcaraz IV. Valdez, went undrafted in 2009 and signed with Atlanta as a college free agent. He has yet crack the active roster but has spent the last three seasons on the practice squad and showed promise in the preseason.
Although Valdez played tackle in college, he is better suited as a guard prospect for the Vikings. His lack of foot speed and elite pass blocking make him a lackluster candidate for either offensive tackle spot. Despite his deficiencies, he does boast capable run blocking and nice pass blocking technique. Valdez lacks great upside, but has some potential as a backup.
Valdez will be on the Vikings' active roster when OTA's begin in March. As for the Falcons, they lose out on having a talented prospect that adds depth to the offensive line, but Dave Choate of The Falcoholic believes the Vikings may make better use of Valdez.
If Garrett Reynolds moves back to OT and Sam Baker is retained, the Falcons could make a go of it, though it's hardly ideal. I always hate to lose players the Falcons have been grooming, but it's telling that Valdez never made an impact during his time in Atlanta. The Vikings will probably find better use for Valdez as a guard, frankly.