Day 1 of Vikings mandatory minicamp on Tuesday was all about Justin Jefferson's return. The face of the franchise was back at TCO Performance Center after missing OTAs, which is great news for a team that will be relying heavily on him once again this season.
Jefferson is also only one of roughly 90 players who were on hand for a beautiful summer day in Eagan. Here are some observations from Tuesday's practice, which will be followed up by another on Wednesday before a break until training camp in late July.
- Danielle Hunter, as expected, was the only absence. Jordan Addison, Brian O'Neill, Ross Blacklock, Blake Proehl, Malik Knowles, and Sam Schlueter were present but not participating due to injury.
- Jefferson looked like his usual self in warmups, then sat out during 7-on-7 action, raising the question of whether or not he'd participate at all in the team portion of the day. But there he was during 11s, running some full-speed routes and winding up with one catch. Missing a little time during OTAs isn't going to slow him down whatsoever this season.
- Trishton Jackson, one of the depth receivers fighting for a roster spot, continues to impress. He caught three passes from Kirk Cousins over the middle of the field during 7s. No. 9 is someone to watch during camp.
- The starting cornerbacks in 11s were Akayleb Evans and Mekhi Blackmon on the outside and Byron Murphy Jr. in the slot. Andrew Booth Jr. appears to be No. 4 for now, though there's obviously plenty of time for that to change.
- Same goes for Lewis Cine, who is currently the No. 4 safety behind Harrison Smith, Cam Bynum, and Josh Metellus. Brian Flores and the Vikings continue to line Metellus up all over the place in order to get him on the field as much as possible.
- Among young players in the trenches, rookie DT Jaquelin Roy got some reps with the first-team defense and second-year tackle Vederian Lowe took some first-team reps in O'Neill's spot at RT. Those had mostly been going to Oli Udoh, previously.
- Practice ended, as usual, with a situational drill: Offense down 21-20 with 1:05 on the clock. The first-team offense lasted only two plays. Cousins hit Jalen Reagor for a short gain, then threw a bad interception to Jordan Hicks while trying to check it down. It was a great play by the veteran Hicks to anticipate the decision and jump in front, sealing the drill for the defense.
- Up next were the second units, and the duo of Nick Mullens and undrafted rookie receiver Thayer Thomas marched downfield with ease. Mullens connected with Thomas for two huge chunk gains, then hit him once more to set up the drill-winning field goal.
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