Vikings OTA Recap: Key Veterans Absent, Jalen Nailor's Nice Day
It was a beautiful sunny day at TCO Performance Center in Eagan for the Vikings' second OTA practice on Tuesday.
As expected, some prominent faces were not in attendance. The three star players with looming contract situations — Danielle Hunter, Dalvin Cook, and Justin Jefferson — were absent. Hunter and Jefferson are in line for potential extensions, while Cook remains a trade or release candidate.
There was no sign of veterans Harrison Smith or Jordan Hicks, either. Harrison Phillips and Byron Murphy Jr. were present but not wearing helmets. First-round pick Jordan Addison wasn't in action either. Brian O'Neill, who is recovering from an Achilles injury suffered almost five months ago, was rehabbing off to the side. So was rookie running back DeWayne McBride, who is still on the mend from a hamstring issue. Wide receiver Blake Proehl and defensive tackle Ross Blacklock were also on site but not practicing.
Aside from those 12 players, though, there were 78 or so in action. The Vikings went through the usual progression of individual drills by position and special teams work, then wrapped up with roughly 20-30 minutes of seven-on-seven and 11-on-11 team periods. They're obviously not going at 100 percent speed or wearing pads yet. It's still May, after all.
Second-year wide receiver Jalen Nailor was the standout of the team periods. With no Jefferson or Addison, he got plenty of reps alongside K.J. Osborn with the first-team offense. Nailor easily led the team in catches during those periods, including a nice grab on an intermediate in-breaking route in 11s. Kirk Cousins rifled the ball into a small window and Nailor came down with a difficult snag. The 2022 sixth-round pick out of Michigan State will be competing with players like Jalen Reagor and Brandon Powell for the Vikings' No. 4 receiver role.
Tight ends T.J. Hockenson and Josh Oliver were both in action, and Oliver made a nice catch for a big gain up the seam. He's primarily known as a great blocker, but he may have some untapped upside as a pass-catcher.
The absences of numerous key players created opportunities for others to get significant reps with the first-team units. Oli Udoh was in for O'Neill at right tackle. Cam Bynum and Lewis Cine were the first-team safeties, and there was also a look where Brian Flores had those two and Josh Metellus all on the field at once. Troy Reeder and Brian Asamoah led the way at linebacker. With no Phillips or Hunter, there was plenty of Khyiris Tonga, Dean Lowry, Marcus Davenport, D.J. Wonnum, and Patrick Jones II on the defensive line.
There wasn't a whole lot to take away from this practice but again, it's May, and things are just getting ramped up. Periodic OTA practices will continue until mandatory minicamp in mid-June, which is when we'll need to have answers on players like Hunter, Cook, and Jefferson.
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