Vikings Training Camp Notes: J.J. McCarthy has solid day, while Jonathan Greenard and UDFAs steal the show

The Minnesota Vikings are firmly entrenched in training camp right now, and Monday’s practice was the first where they put on the pads.

How will players like J.J. McCarthy look now that it’s full physicality? Who stands out? What positions are the most competitive? Let’s break it down.

Punt return battle

The Vikings are going to have a lot of competition for the punt return job. I saw the following players field punts

• WR Myles Price
• WR Rondale Moore
• WR Tai Felton
• WR Silas Bolden
• WR Dontae Fleming

Winning this job could be the deciding factor on one or two of these players making the 53-man roster. 

Dwight McGlothern season?

One of the biggest question marks for this team comes at the cornerback position. After Byron Murphy Jr, many questions persist. Who is going to step up in a big way to make an impact?

That player could be Dwight McGlothern. He looks much improved from last year’s training camp, including a fantastic rep where he got an interception on a comeback route covering Rondale Moore by staying insanely patient, and undercutting it. 

Dontae Fleming shows out

When you are a depth wide receiver, there aren’t many opportunities to stand out. When they do come about, you need to jump on them,

The Vikings did some one on ones before they transitioned into teams and we got a standout catch from UDFA wide receiver Dontae Fleming out of Tulane in both drills. Both catches were on deep balls, where he showed really nice separation and tracking to get both throws. With him being an option also as a punt returner, having some offensive prowess will only help his case.

Max Brosmer makes play in limited reps

The fourth quarterback doesn’t get a lot opportunities to throw the football. When you do, it’s best to make it count. While he did throw an interception, his last rep in team drills stands out.

The pocket collapsed on him rather quickly, but Brosmer escaped through the pressure and fired a bullet to Myles Price on a deep crosser on the sidelines. It was his throw of the day and a very good one to end on.

Jonathan Greenard wrecks the 2 minute drill

To end practice, the Vikings did a two minute drill with the fist team and second team. It was an opportunity for McCarthy to wow the crowd. It didn’t happen, mainly due to the rush by Greenard.

He was causing consistent havoc across the board. Greenard was doing his thing in getting off the ball extremely quick and forcing fast decisions. From my angle, I couldn’t tell him if he got any sacks, but he certainly forced the issue and at least one bad throw.

J.J. McCarthy has solid day

Consistency and growth are the keys for me this time of year. What does your process look like and how well do you perform? 

There wasn’t a lot to be upset about when it comes to McCarthy’s performance, but he only had one play that gave us a “wow” moment, when he hit Lucky Jackson in the cover-2 honey hole with a missile. Hitting that window unlocks a lot out of your offense.