4 Things to Monitor at Vikings Mandatory Minicamp | 2024
The Minnesota Vikings regular season begins in 98 days, and mandatory minicamp is the next stop in determining the 53-man roster.
The event kicks off Tuesday in Eagan.
4 Things to Monitor at Vikings Mandatory Minicamp | 2024
The sessions last two days before a summer break. Here are the four items to monitor, ranked in ascending order of importance.
4. The 1st-Team DT Next to Harrison Phillips
One man — perhaps two per snap count — will fill Minnesota’s vacant three-technique job:
- Jerry Tillery
- Jonathan Bullard
- Jonah Williams
- James Lynch
- Jaquelin Roy
- Levi Drake Rodriguez
- Tyler Manoa
Three or four of those men will make the 53-man roster, and one will be nominated as the Week 1 starter. Tillery or Bullard might be the frontrunners but watch for dark horses like Williams, Lynch, and Roy at OTAs.
3. Who “Looks the Part” at WR3?
These are the contenders:
- Brandon Powell
- Trent Sherfield
- Jalen Nailor
- Lucky Jackson
- Malik Knowles
- Thayer Thomas
- Trishton Jackson
- N’Keal Harry
- Ty James
- Jeshaun Jones
- Devron Harper
After K.J. Osborn left in March, a hole cratered on the Vikings’ roster at WR3, and someone must fill it. Most have circled Powell, Sherfield, and Nailor as frontrunners but keep an eye on the unsung youngsters like Jeshaun Jones, Malik Knowles, and Thayer Thomas. This roster is screaming for a quiet WR3 arrival.
2. The Big-Name New Guys
These two can fall into Captain Obvious territory — especially the quarterback — but curious minds want to know how J.J. McCarthy and Dallas Turner fare in an organized setting, and folks want glimpses of the two in action.
Minnesota spent ample draft capital on the duo — Turner, in particular — and the Vikings need both 1st-Rounders to pan out. On McCarthy, Sam Darnold will likely win the QB1 job to start 2024, but he will take over before too long. Monitoring his development at minicamp can be classified as a first step.
1. Will Justin Jefferson Show Up?
Last year, Jefferson sought a large contract, skipped OTAs when that hadn’t come to fruition, and later showed up at mandatory minicamp. Fast forward to 2024, and the phenom playmaker still seeks the same extension — and skipped OTAs again.
If Jefferson doesn’t attend mandatory minicamp, the club would have an honest-to-goodness holdout brewing.
However, sources tell VikingsTerritory that Jefferson will “probably” be there in Eagan this week.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His MIN obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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