The Vikings announced on Thursday the signing of guard Tom Compton.
Originally a sixth-round draft pick by Washington in 2012, Compton has played in 71 games and made 15 starts.
Five of Compton's starts were in 2017 with the Bears. He started the season's opening two games at left guard and in Weeks 14, 15 and 17 at right guard – the latter against the Vikings. Compton helped block for running back Jordan Howard, who rushed for 1,122 yards, and allowed just two sacks on the season. One penalty was called on Compton in the 11 games he played.
Prior to joining the Bears, Compton played in all 16 regular-season games and all three postseason games for the 2016 NFC Champion Falcons. He helped protect NFL MVP Matt Ryan, who led the league with a passer rating of 117.1 and ranked second with 38 touchdowns.
Compton is the first offensive lineman signed by the Vikings in free agency this season. Last March, Minnesota added free agent tackles Riley Reiff and Mike Remmers to bolster the unit.
Here are five things to know about Compton:
View images of Vikings new offensive lineman Tom Compton from his days with the Chicago Bears, the Atlanta Falcons, and the Washington Redskins.
1. Coming back home
Compton was born and raised in Rosemount, Minnesota, approximately 10 miles away from the Vikings new Eagan headquarters at Twin Cities Orthopedics Performance Center.
He attended Rosemount High School, where he started on the offensive line during his junior and senior seasons. Compton helped the Irish win a section championship in 2006 and appear in the state semifinals, during which they played in the Metrodome.
*2. Collegiate career *
Compton redshirted for South Dakota in 2007 before receiving the starting nod in 2008. He started 43 consecutive games through 2011.
As a redshirt freshman in 2008, Compton started at right tackle and helped the Coyotes rank in the top 10 nationally in scoring offense, total offense and rushing offense. The following season, the team averaged 460 total yards and 202 rushing yards per game.
Compton received All-Great West Conference honorable mention honors in 2009, and in 2010 and 2011 he was named First-Team All-Great West Conference and received USD's Most Valuable Lineman award in 2010. Following his senior season, he was a participant in the 2012 East-West Shrine Game.
3. Cousins connection
Compton and Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins were both drafted by the Redskins in 2012, were teammates through 2015 and have remained friends since. In 2015, Cousins' first year as Washington's full-time starting quarterback, Compton helped block for Cousins as he passed for 4,166 yards with 29 touchdowns and a passer rating of 101.6.
In a January 2016 ***Washington Post *article**, it was quipped by Cousins' childhood friend Kyle Schonewill, one of four members of the folk-rock band Midnight Pilot, that Compton and Cousins would join the band together.
"The rumor is that Tom Compton is coming to play drums," Schonewill was quoted. "Tom's going to play drums, and Kirk will sing."
4. Combine competitor
Compton was invited to the 2012 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, prior to which he was projected as a fourth-round selection by *Sports Illustrated. *
The Minnesota native finished fifth-best among offensive linemen in the 40-yard dash (5.11 seconds), tied for third in the broad jump (9 feet), eighth in the vertical jump (30 inches), eighth in the 3-cone drill (7.59 seconds) and sixth in the 20-yard shuttle (4.60 seconds).
5. Comedy cameo
Compton's main role may come on the football field, but he also had a flash in Hollywood.
The lineman had a part in the movie *Sharknado 3, *playing the role of a TV reporter stationed in front of the White House. The role originally was planned for Cousins, but the quarterback encountered a schedule conflict and passed the part along to Compton.
