3 Takeaways From Vikings Minicamp/OTAs
The Minnesota Vikings recently finished up their minicamps. From all accounts, guys were working hard and by the end of it, both sides of the football were beginning to jell. Here are the three biggest takeaways from the practice sessions.
1. Who Will be the Vikings Third Wide Receiver?
Early in camp Jordan Taylor was the talk of camp. He impressed not just with his size, but his overall athletic ability and surprising speed and quickness. He suffered a minor injury and at the end of camp, the new cock of the walk was Chad Beebe. Gary Kubiak heaped praise upon the second-year receiver, and at this point, he seems to be the favorite to be the Vikings third wide receiver in 2019.
2. Hercules Mata'afa's Emergence
The Vikings signed Hercules Mata'afa as an undrafted free agent a year ago. A big reason why he was undrafted was that teams had no idea where to play the guy. Unfortunately, he was hurt and missed his entire rookie season. This season the Vikings moved him inside to his college position of 3-technique defensive tackle and he has turned heads with his play. The guy still has a long way to go, but he clearly has earned the attention of his coaches, and his chances of making the final 53 man roster look strong.
3, Defense Ahead of the Offense
This is no real surprise as the defense has been in the same scheme for years and the offense is once again learning a new system. But by all accounts, the defense is ahead of the offense at this point and had the upper hand in many of the drills and situations they were put in.
