Vikings receivers, D-line have the most to gain as pads come on at camp
EAGAN — Ah yes, the pads are coming on.
Monday’s practice for the Minnesota Vikings represents the next big step on the schedule as we march toward the opener against the Green Bay Packers. Though camp started last week, the Vikings were in the ramp up period of camp in which they worked out with just helmets. In that section of camp, the team gets a first impression of where everyone stands but the actual position battles don’t truly begin until the first pad pops.
Every position becomes more physical with pads on and though new head coach Kevin O’Connell has put a lot of focus on keeping players healthy, he also said that when it’s time to jack up the intensity of camp, they need to turn it up to 11.
“When we’re going, we gotta go,” O’Connell said. “We’ve done our due diligence through the whole month of the volume of work we put in, but when we put those pads on, there’s just not that many opportunities to prepare your team and for our individual players, individual phases of offense, defense and special teams to feel prepared. There’s no other way than to go full-compete.”
Across the roster there are battles for depth positions that will be largely determined by the padded practices but the two in particular that have the most open competition behind the proven veterans are the wide receivers and defensive line.
The lack of depth in both of these areas proved costly last year when the Vikings lost Danielle Hunter, Everson Griffen and Adam Thielen down the stretch. This year there are new faces at both positions that have a chance to shake up the depth chart and players who have been developing who are looking to take the next step.
Starting with receivers, the Vikings should simply have more opportunities in camp for them to stand out because they are increasing the number of three-receiver sets significantly. We have already seen lots of rotating with Kirk Cousins rather than having the starters take every rep with the first-team QB.
“Pads-on and real game experience is always going to be a better indicator but we feel really good with where we're at and we actually feel like we're going to have some tough decisions at the end here when it comes down to it because of the depth we have at that group,” offensive coordinator Wes Phillips said.
There may be some competition for WR3 if KJ Osborn has any issues with the new offense but that’s not very likely. On Saturday he roasted the secondary for a bomb touchdown to remind everyone that he solidified himself last year as a quality NFL receiver. But behind him, the door is wide open for Ihmir Smith-Marsette, Bisi Johnson and Albert Wilson to fight for position.
The physical advantage goes to Smith-Marsette, who is explosive and tracks the ball well downfield. He only saw a handful of targets last season but flashed some big-play ability in the final week against the Bears. If the Vikings offense tracks similarly to the Rams, there’s openings for receivers who can clear out the defense on downfield routes or potentially be a home run option. But Smith-Marsette will need to show that he can master the details and win the fight off the line of scrimmage and downfield against corners who can finally battle all out for the football.
Experience is a serious edge in this race for Wilson and Johnson. They have both learned new offenses on the fly before and won camp battles. Wilson has been a consistent depth receiver with Kansas City and Miami over his eight years in the NFL, while Johnson earned a spot on the 53-man roster as a rookie and admirably filled in for Thielen during the 2019 season.
Wilson’s usage will be worth watching. In previous stops he’s played both outside and slot receiver. This Vikings offense appears to emphasize the slot receiver position, which could help Wilson make his case as a needed backup.
Johnson, who is coming off an ACL injury, has the farthest to go in order to win a position. He wasn’t drafted or signed by the current regime and at 25 years old wouldn’t be considered an “upside” player. He will simply need to make more plays than the contenders.
The other receivers in the mix are highlighted by Jalen Nailor, the sixth-round pick out of Michigan State. He was a big-play machine in college but there’s a steep learning curve against NFL players and he will face off with more experienced cornerbacks even if his reps are largely on the third team. In the past the Vikings have seen late-round pick receivers develop quickly, including fifth-rounder Stefon Diggs. But even he was inactive for the first three games of his rookie season. Nailor will need to stand way out to put himself in the conversation to make the 53.
Myron Mitchell, Trishton Jackson and Thomas Hennigan are long shots. The other receiver is Dan Chisena, who is a special teams ace with outrageous speed. Last year he did appear several times in games as a receiver but did not get a target. He made a handful of camp plays at receiver that caught the team’s eye last year. He’s the dark horse in the group that would have to toast the secondary with pads on to get the new staff’s attention. But it’s not impossible.
All the receivers will face a competitive group of defensive backs on a daily basis. Cam Dantzler and Andrew Booth Jr. are fighting for position and Patrick Peterson is prepping himself for another season of holding off Father Time. Experienced backups like Nate Hairston, Parry Nickerson, Harrison Hand and Tye Smith are competing for their place in the league, which should make for highly contested battles with the receivers.
Along the defensive line, it’s impossible to judge pass rushing until the pads come on and this year the Vikings have a sturdy enough offensive line — even with the second unit — to give an accurate depiction of whose rising and falling.
“When the pads come on, that’s when a whole different evaluation piece comes in,” defensive coordinator Ed Donatell said. “And the people that have their fights close to the line of scrimmage, first you see the physical part of it on the defensive line.”
In particular Armon Watts and DJ Wonnum can show the coaching staff that they belong in the rotation with the first team. Both flashed some ability to get after the quarterback last year and now take on a new defensive scheme that actually may play in their favor. Watts appears to fit best as the third defensive linemen in 3-4 base packages and a rotational rusher on passing downs in the nickel (which the defense will mostly play).
Wonnum has seen the field quite a bit in his first two years but not as a standup rusher. That may gel with his skill set. NFL.com’s draft profile on Wonnum when he entered the league in 2020 said: “Wonnum has experience playing standing or with a hand down but is best suited as a rush linebacker in a 3-4.”
Last year’s draft picks Patrick Jones and Janarius Robinson were both selected to play in a different system and now must adapt quickly. Players behind them that have been brought in by the current regime like Andre Mintze, and UDFAs Zach McCloud and Luiji Vilain will get opportunities to make noise once the pads are on.
On the interior Jullian Taylor is the dark horse because he has previous experience and an impressive athletic profile, which could allow him to stand out against depth offensive linemen. Jaylen Twyman is another player with the spotlight on because he will be going against his first physical action in the trenches since 2019. He sat out 2020 to prepare for the draft and missed last year after getting shot in the offseason.
“He's super explosive,” Dalvin Tomlinson said of Twyman. “In the run game he's improving a great degree. In the pass rush he's great as you already know. I'm just excited to see him get out there this year. I just want him to go out there and be successful. I know how great he is and how hard he comes to work every day. Just to finally see him get on the field and have fun again is going to be exciting.”
None of these battles will be decided by the end of Monday’s practice but Week 2 of camp should set the stage for where everyone stands on the depth chart before going into preseason action. And while this portion of Vikings camp doesn’t feature a fight for a starting position at receiver or along the D-line, the coming weeks will tell us if they have more depth than expected or if they’ll need to pray for 17 healthy games across the board.
