When the Minnesota Vikings drafted Irv Smith Jr. in the second round most believed he would be the replacement for Kyle Rudolph either this season or down the road. There is a good chance at some point that will still be the case but Smith thinks that the two guys can be a great combination.

Smith has only been in the locker room for a couple of weeks, but he has already started to learn from Rudolph who has been more than willing to teach.

“It's definitely not weird at all,” Smith told Lindsay Rhodes on Total Access on Thursday in regards to whether there was any awkwardness between the two tight ends via NFL.com. “He's embraced me. I've learned a lot already from him. And I hope that he's there, because I can learn from him and, you know, we can be a great combination.”

The Vikings don't have much cap space and moving on from Rudolph would open $7.625 million, Rudolph has already said that he won't take a pay cut and the situation still hasn't been worked out.

Smith is expected to be another big pass catching target for Kirk Cousins and how much playing time he will get this season depends on if Rudolph is on the roster. No matter how much Smith is on the field he just wants to do whatever he can to help the team.

“Whatever the coaches, whatever they ask me to do, I'm going to do it,” Smith said. “If they ask me to be a blocker, a receiver. Whatever I need to do to help the team win and ultimately win a Super Bowl.”