'First-team all-joint practice:' Cleveland Browns beat writer heaps praise on to Vikings UDFA star

The first day of joint practice with the Cleveland Browns and Minnesota Vikings wasn't great for the purple and gold. Head coach Kevin O'Connell announced that quarterback J.J. McCarthy was going to miss the entire season with a torn meniscus and wide receiver Jordan Addison went down with an ankle injury.

Even though the offense had some brutal blows, the defense was consistent in stopping the Browns offense. The best player on the field was arguably inside linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. who was flying all over the field.

That has continued on Thursday afternoon. Browns beat writer for ESPN Daniel Oyefusi has heaped praise on Pace, calling his first-team all-joint practice after he registered a pick-six off of starting quarterback Deshaun Watson.

Pace has been a revelation for general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah's scouting process. An undrafted free agent out of Cincinnati, Pace was overlooked due to being 5-10" and a middle linebacker that thrives as a pass rusher. He was ranked just outside the top 100 on Arif Hasan's consensus board and quickly made an impact by earning a starting job quickly.

Going into 2024, Pace is viewed by the Vikings very highly as not just a starter, but also the green dot player. That means Pace will be getting the radio communications from defensive coordinator Brian Flores. It's an important responsibility for any player, but especially one entering their second season.

If Pace keeps this up, he could be one of the best undrafted free agent players not just in recent memory, but of all-time.

Related: Injuries and physicality highlight Minnesota Vikings observations from joint practice with Cleveland Browns