EAGAN, Minn. — One of Minnesota's 2025 undrafted free agents has quite the HUDL highlight tape.
In it, he's schooling prepsters and hitting pay dirt. He's like a blur on the screen – untouchable and untraceable by the defense after snaring a pass. The quarterback slinging him the football? C.J. Stroud.
We buried the lead there, huh? With the future No. 2 pick of the 2023 NFL Draft under center, no wonder it's a mashup of beautiful throws. Granted, the finishes are what really grabbed our attention – a credit to a new Viking.
The compilation of plays, somehow painstaking and effortless, begins with a snap from the right hash and a player stretched far to the left side of the field, aligned just inside the numbers, charging up and out of his stance and into the lap of a cornerback. Quickly, the receiver feigned an outside release with a jab step and head-and-shoulder fake left, dropping the defender to his rear, accelerated toward the post and flipped his eyes around to track and gather a pass for a 59-yard touchdown.
The 5-minute, 53-second reel, which has a modest 1,060 views, is stuffed with speed, savvy route-running and stretched-out catches that're more often made by players with phenomenal measurables.
Except, this talent was maybe 5-foot-9 and 140 pounds with lifts in his shoes and weights in his pockets.
For mainly that reason, the odds were, are, and will always be stacked against Silas Bolden. That fuels, obviously, the gratitude he feels for the opportunity to be part of the Vikings and prove his ability, again.
"It means everything, you know, because I'm not the biggest guy out there," Bolden told Vikings.com a day before participating in Minnesota's rookie minicamp. "I just went out there and put in the work and it shows. I made my dreams come true, you know? But the journey is not over. I'm just getting started."
Born and raised in the Inland Empire in California, Bolden spent four years at Oregon State and transferred to Texas for his last college dance. He's one of 22 UDFAs signed by the Vikings after the draft.
It's another item checked off for Bolden, who amassed 103 receptions for 1,343 yards and 10 touchdowns, in addition to 199 rushing yards and five scores and two housed punt returns in college. He first identified the NFL as his goal around 5 or 6 years old, when he fancied a hometown team and an icon.
"I ain't gonna lie, I pretended to be Reggie Bush," Bolden said, admiring the former USC running back. "My first number was actually 5 when I played tackle football. So, I mean, he was my biggest inspiration."
An infatuation with Bush's feats was common for dreaming football players born around 2000. And, yes, that Bush-inspired No. 5 jersey kept resting on Bolden's frame as he skirted past high school opponents.
At Oregon State, Bolden started in No. 83, shifted to No. 7 and then swapped it for a Longhorns No. 11. Now, on the Vikings, he's returned to 83 (after fourth-year wide receiver Jalen Nailor swapped 83 for 1 this offseason) and is aiming to earn a role in an explosive offense and/or as a game-breaking specialist.
"I heard it's a great group of guys, and I just want to go in there and do my part," Bolden assured. "Whether that's, you know, returning [or] playing receiver – doing what I can to help the team win."
While the level has changed and the competition increased, this territory is familiar for Bolden in that he's used to being discounted because of his stature – and plenty accustomed to shaking off doubters.
It helps that what Bolden lacks in size, he multiplies in mental and physical toughness, versatility and explosiveness. Plus, he's privy to a quasi-roadmap for his continued football trek thanks to his brother.
Victor Bolden, Jr., traversed a similar path, going from notoriety at Oregon State to obscurity in the NFL as a UDFA of the 49ers in 2017. Ultimately, Victor played 15 games for San Francisco and Buffalo from 2017-18, contributing mostly as a kick returner – a calling that could align with Silas' skills – and had a few stints on different teams' practice squads as recent as 2023, while also suiting up in spring leagues.
Victor garnered All-USFL honors and was named MVP of the 2022 USFL Championship Game after scoring the go-ahead touchdown in the final four minutes.
Silas, observant and proud of his brother, called Victor his "biggest role model" and "biggest motivator."
"My journey is a little different," the Vikings receiver noted. "But I just look at him for pointers of how to approach it, going as an undrafted guy, just doing what I can to get my – well, I got my foot in the door, but, you know, just staying in the league and just finding my niche, and staying and having a long career."
There's a ton of likeness in the Bolden Bros' games, and the potential Silas has on special teams could be appealing to Minnesota, which parted ways this offseason with starting punt returner Brandon Powell and is inclined to reconfigure its kick return unit after a touchback rule tweak and minimal impacts in that phase (the Vikings ranked in the bottom two in 2024 average punt and kick returns).
Bolden has the requisite traits to stand out in that capacity. He switches gears in an instant; has dizzying short-area burst and dangerous long speed; and shows a spatial awareness and wiggle that sometimes enables him to run laterally with the ball to acquire an angle and reach greener grass, before stepping on the gas.
His key to shagging balls and knowing when to stay or go is reliant on an "opportunist" mindset, he said.
"You know, don't be too high [or] be too low," Bolden explained. "I know for me, the most important thing is possession. As long as you catch the ball, you're gonna put your team in the best situation."
Perhaps fatefully, the return game is a microcosm of Bolden's journey.
He's been the guy that's led a program in catches and receiving yards, and one that is included on All-Conference teams and trusted with significant snaps. More recently, however, he made a name for himself as a selfless teammate at Texas that took a backseat in many aspects but still managed to contribute – by being an opportunist – in ways that readied him to do the same for an NFL organization.
On every stage, Bolden only has ever needed an opportunity.
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