May 10th boyz and girls...

[purplefaithful]

The Vikings' rookie minicamp will take place at TCO Performance Center from May 10th to 12th, the NFL announced on Wednesday. 

It'll be the first time that J.J. McCarthy, Dallas Turner, and the rest of Minnesota's rookies take the field for an NFL practice.

The Vikings' offseason program is already underway. Following rookie minicamp, there will be OTAs on May 20-21, May 23, May 28-29, May 31, and June 10-13. Mandatory minicamp is set for June 4-6.

These are some of the players who will be participating in Vikings rookie minicamp:
2024 Draft Picks (7)
* J.J. McCarthy, QB, Michigan
* Dallas Turner, OLB, Alabama
* Khyree Jackson, CB, Oregon
* Walter Rouse, OT, Oklahoma
* Will Reichard, K, Alabama
* Michael Jurgens, C, Wake Forest
* Levi Drake Rodriguez, DT, Texas A&M-Commerce

2024 UDFAs (17)
* Gabriel Murphy, EDGE, UCLA
* Owen Porter, EDGE, Marshall
* Dwight McGlothern Jr., CB, Arkansas
* Bo Richter, LB, Air Force
* Dallas Gant, LB, Toledo
* Donovan Manuel, LB, Florida International
* K.J. Cloyd, LB, Miami
* Taki Taimani, DT, Oregon
* Tyler Manoa, DT, Arizona
* Doug Nester, OL, West Virginia
* Matt Cindric, OL, California
* Spencer Rolland, OL, North Carolina
* Jeremy Flax, OL, Kentucky
* Trey Knox, TE, South Carolina
* Devron Harper, WR, Mercer
* Ty James, WR, Mercer
* Jeshaun Jones, WR, Maryland

Those 24 players will be supplemented by a variety of players attending the minicamp on a tryout basis. Those are typically rookies who weren't signed as UDFAs, but they can sometimes include players who already have previous NFL experience. Adam Thielen and C.J. Ham are famous examples of players who made the Vikings' roster after trying out at rookie minicamp. 

Here are a few tryout players who are reportedly attending this year's Vikings rookie camp:
* Jermaine Brown Jr., RB, UAB (source)
* Chance Main, DT, Texas State (source)
* Noah Washington, EDGE, Morgan State (source)
* Brady Weeks, LS, Minnesota (source)
* Kolbi Fuqua, DB, Jacksonville State (source)

That's 29 players. Last year's rookie minicamp had 43, so keep an eye out for the full rosters when camp begins on May 10th.

https://www.si.com/nfl/vikings/news/viki...ut-players

[StickierBuns]

Its actually crazy May is here already. In less than 2 months a few training camps kick off. Football season will be here before we know it. NFL schedule should be out this week as well.

[MaroonBells]

Vikings once again led the league in signing UDFAs. Last year, two players stood out among the players who went undrafted, Ivan Pace Jr and Andre Carter. Vikings signed them both. This year the Vikings got the #1 available player in Gabriel Murphy and the 9th ranked player in McClothern. 

Makes me wonder why more teams don't do this. I get that the odds of hitting on these players is very very low, but it's not like the financial commitment is very high either. The ROI on IPJ is through the roof. Kudos to the Wilves for making it happen every year. 

https://www.wideleft.football/p/ranking-...s-with-the

[purplefaithful]

The time has finally come.

A couple of weeks after being drafted by the Vikings, or signed as undrafted free agents, the 2024 rookie class will descend upon TCO Performance Center in Eagan for the weekend, starting on Friday. It will serve as a chance for many players to make a first impression on the coaching staff as they look to carve out a niche for themselves heading into next season.

Though the tandem of quarterback J.J. McCarthy and edge rusher Dallas Turner will arrive with the most hype after being selected in the first round of the draft, there are a handful of other names worth following when the Vikings hit the practice field this weekend.

Here are five players to keep an eye on at Vikings rookie minicamp:

J.J. McCarthy

This is a no-brainer. As the only quarterback the Vikings have ever drafted in the Top 10 in franchise history, McCarthy will be under a microscope every time he throws a pass on the practice field. It will be interesting to see how he looks his first time taking live reps with the Vikings. There’s going to be a learning curve for him as he acclimates to the next level. That said, McCarthy played in a pro-style offense at Michigan in college, and thus, could be more advanced in his development than some might think. His performance at rookie minicamp under the tutelage of head coach Kevin O’Connell will give a good indications where he stands.

Dallas Turner

Just go ahead and look up some highlights of Turner rushing the passer at Alabama in college. He was a dominant force in every situation, equipped with the speed to win on the outside, as well as the power to win on the inside. Though he won’t get to showcase his full repertoire this weekend, Turner should be able to give a glimpse into the dominant player he could become soon enough.

Khyree Jackson

It’s going to be fun to see how imposing cornerback Khyree Jackson looks in person. He is listed as having a 6-foot-4, 195-pound frame, which fits the mold of what defensive coordinator Brian Flores is looking for in a cornerback. It’s not hard to imagine Jackson developing into a solid player on the outside. How fluid is he going to be at his size? That’s the main question that needs to be answered.

Levi Drake Rodriguez

As far as excitement level goes among the rookie class, defensive tackle Levi Drake Rodriguez is up there simply because he is an unknown. There aren’t a ton of highlights of Rodriguez because he played his college ball at Texas A&M Commerce. He clearly has a passion for the sport, and that should serve him well as he tries to make the team. No doubt a good showing this weekend will put him on the right track.

Gabriel Murphy

The comparisons started as soon as edge rusher Gabriel Murphy signed as an undrafted free agent. The thought was that he could follow a similar path to that of linebacker Ivan Pace Jr., who signed as undrafted free agent ahead of last season and turned himself into an unquestioned star for the Vikings. The biggest knock on Murphy coming out of college was the fact that he lacked the prototypical arm length of an edge rusher. He has a chance to prove the doubters wrong starting now.

https://www.twincities.com/2024/05/09/he...-minicamp/

[MaroonBells]

If LDR can live up to half the hype he's been getting from the scouting staff, we might just have something. Reminds me of John Randle. Doesn't have Randle's size issues, but their backgrounds are similar. 

Speaking of which, I read this on Randle's wiki page. Didn't know this before.

Randle went undrafted; he tried out for his brother's team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but was thought to be too small, and was not signed to a contract. The 6'1" 244-lbs. defensive lineman was picked up by the Vikings after the draft on the recommendation of Head Scout Don Deisch. Randle was told by the Vikings that he would only be picked up if he came back with his weight over 250 lbs, but he was at 244 lbs, so when he was weighed he hid a chain under his sweats to get his weight up.[6]

[purplefaithful]

If LDR can live up to half the hype he's been getting from the scouting staff, we might just have something. Reminds me of John Randle. Doesn't have Randle's size issues, but their backgrounds are similar. 

Speaking of which, I read this on Randle's wiki page. Didn't know this before.

Randle went undrafted; he tried out for his brother's team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but was thought to be too small, and was not signed to a contract. The 6'1" 244-lbs. defensive lineman was picked up by the Vikings after the draft on the recommendation of Head Scout Don Deisch. Randle was told by the Vikings that he would only be picked up if he came back with his weight over 250 lbs, but he was at 244 lbs, so when he was weighed he hid a chain under his sweats to get his weight up.[6]

Yup, I had heard that b4. Forgot all about it till you bought it up. 

I pity the poor OL rookie fools going up against Turner in practice...Especially b4 the season starts. 

[FLVike]

If LDR can live up to half the hype he's been getting from the scouting staff, we might just have something. Reminds me of John Randle. Doesn't have Randle's size issues, but their backgrounds are similar. 

Speaking of which, I read this on Randle's wiki page. Didn't know this before.

Randle went undrafted; he tried out for his brother's team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but was thought to be too small, and was not signed to a contract. The 6'1" 244-lbs. defensive lineman was picked up by the Vikings after the draft on the recommendation of Head Scout Don Deisch. Randle was told by the Vikings that he would only be picked up if he came back with his weight over 250 lbs, but he was at 244 lbs, so when he was weighed he hid a chain under his sweats to get his weight up.[6]

I actually met Irving Randle in Tampa around 1989/90. Super nice guy.