On Monday afternoon, Carter Bykowski's agent called him out of the blue with an offer he wasn't going to refuse. Not only did an NFL team want to sign him off the 49ers' practice squad to their active roster, it was the Vikings, whose practice facility is about five minutes down Highway 5 from where Bykowski grew up.

"I was like, 'Yeah, I'm ready. Let's go home,'" he said today as he prepared for his first practice.

Bykowski is from Eden Prairie, where he played high school football for Mike Grant, the successful son of legendary Vikings coach Bud Grant. He is good friends with Ryan Grant, Bud's grandson.

"I grew up with Ryan, so he was always around," Bykowski said of Bud Grant. "He might not recognize me or remember me. I was 240 [pounds] back then."

After winning two state football titles at Eden Prairie, Bykowski went to college at Iowa State. He initially played tight end there, but the Cyclones transitioned him to offensive tackle. He was a seventh-round pick of the 49ers in 2013 and had been on their practice squad for two seasons.

"For offensive linemen, a lot of times it's a project," Bykowski said. "I played two and a half years of college at tight end, so I had to put weight on and learn a new position, so that's kind of come as a project. And now it's kind of coming full circle here and I'm just ready to get after it."

Bykowski isn't sure what his role will be over the next three weeks. The Vikings have lost three starters on the offensive line, but it seems unlikely the team will slot him into a starting role before the season is through. He said he will simply try to impress the coaching staff with his performance in practice, and he hopes by doing that he will put himself in position to earn a spot next spring.

"I'm just coming in here and doing what they tell me to do and trying to get caught up with the offense as fast as I can so if the need be, I'll be ready for it," he said.