Thigpen signs

The Vikings signed rookie QB Tyler Thigpen, a seventh-round draft pick, to a contract Friday.
Thigpen was the 217th pick in the draft, out of Coastal Carolina.
“It’s a great relief to have the contract done and a weight off my shoulders,” Thigpen said in a statement. “Playing in the NFL some day is something every kid thinks about when they first pick up a football. It’s like a dream come true to actually be in the NFL now, and I look forward to getting
work and helping this team.”
The Vikings have seven other rookies to sign.
Thigpen helped lead Coastal to the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs in 2006 and is the
most decorated player in school history. He is the first player drafted from the Big South
Conference and from Coastal. Thigpen was a consensus All-American as a senior and finished seventh in the balloting for the Walter Payton Award, honoring the I-AA offensive player of the year.
The team did not announce terms of the deal. Seventh round picks usually sign three-year deals with modest signing bonuses.