EAGAN, Minn. – The Vikings added depth to their offensive line in the seventh round of this year's draft.

Minnesota selected Michael Jurgens 230^th overall out of Wake Forest. Though he played most of his collegiate career at center, he transitioned to guard in his final season with the Demon Deacons.

Over his time at Wake Forest, Jurgens appeared in 61 total games and made 46 starts.

Vikings Senior Vice President of Player Personnel Ryan Grigson pointed out that after earning All-ACC honors at center, Jurgens also impressed at guard in 2023. In fact, some who watched him play guard didn't realize he hadn't been at the position all along.

"Some people looked at him and were like, 'Yeah, he's a heck of a guard.' And they had a good grade on him. But then it's like, 'Well, did you know he played center? Did you see him play center?' And they're like, 'No.' 'Well, that was his position.' 'Wow,' " Grigson said during an interview with Paul Allen on KFAN's 9 to Noon. "So then you have a guy who has good film and a good conference against the Florida States, the Clemsons, and actually finishing the guys to the ground.

"He plays the leverage and obviously is a very smart guy, which you have to be. At center, you have to have a smart dude," Grigson added. "He's someone I think is unflappable in that way."

Here are five things to know about the Vikings new offensive lineman:

1. Bulked up

Jurgens is listed at 6-foot-4 and 311 pounds, but he wasn't always NFL lineman-sized.

In fact, at one point Wake Forest offensive line coach Nick Tabacca doubted Jurgens would even find success at the college level. Demon Deacons beat reporter Les Johns wrote the following anecdote:

After suffering through a bout of sickness early in his high school junior season, Jurgens was playing both offensive and defensive line at a paltry 235 pounds when Tabacca first visited him.

"Why did you send me to see this kid?" Tabacca asked the staffer who recommended Jurgens. "He's never going to be able to play in the ACC."

As it turned out, Jurgens adding weight and then playing lacrosse effectively at that weight in the spring of 2017 started turning heads. He daily ingested 3,500-5,000 calories, including a pair of weight-gaining shakes that he and his father researched.

"I was playing at 270 and coaches seeing me move around playing lacrosse so well at that weight really helped my recruiting," Jurgens said. "It started to pick up steam at the end. But then I visited here and loved it. They offered, and I committed."

2. High school standout

Jurgens attended Damascus High School (Maryland), where he served as a team captain and was part of three straight state titles under Head Coach Eric Wallich.

He set a school record for most pancake blocks in a game with 12, as well as most in a season (89) and career (169).

As a senior, Jurgens was invited to the Maryland Crab Bowl all-star game and was named First-Team All-Met by the Washington Post.

Jurgens never lost a game with the Swarmin' Hornets, going 42-0 during his time at Damascus.

3. Two-sport athlete

In addition to shining on the football field, Jurgens also impressed as a lacrosse defender.

Jurgens earned all-conference honors as a defender on the lacrosse field. In 2018, he helped the team finish 16-2.

4. Santa's Helper

Jurgens is a little bigger than your average Christmas elf, but that doesn't stop him from delivering holiday magic to the community.

Jurgens serves on the Board of Directors for Santa’s Helper, a nonprofit in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. According to the organization's website, "a fleet of SUVs and vans take Santas and elves representing every Deacon sport all over the county delivering presents and books to deserving families."

Every year, Santa's Helper impacts more than 1,000 children.

5. Special Olympics supporter

Jurgens serves as a mentor and coach for a Special Olympics bocce ball team and works with youth facing intellectual and developmental disabilities.