Vikings looked into Teddy Bridgewater heart problem before draft

Before drafting Teddy Bridgewater to be their quarterback of the future (and quite possibly the present), the Minnesota Vikings had some concerns about the former Louisville player’s heart.

Not in a sports-cliche, figurative sense. The team had medical concerns about the actual organ that pumps blood through Bridgewater’s body.

So much so that they brought him in for an extra physical after he had already worked out for the team just to be sure everything was all right.

“I just had an abnormal heartbeat,” Bridgewater said in a conference call. “I think it was 1%, or one beat, less than the normal beat. So, I came back up to Minnesota, got the physical, got the EKG and everything, got tested and it came back positive.”

Bridgewater added that the Vikings were the only team to look into the issue.

Makes sense that they would be extra cautious when it came to Bridgewater. Not only did the Vikings use a first-round pick on him, they traded up to do so after drafting UCLA linebacker Anthony Barr at No. 9 overall.

Minnesota ended up getting the final spot in the first round from Seattle, moving ahead of the Houston Texans, who have the first pick in the second round and a need at quarterback.