Viktor
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- Mar 19, 2019
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Due to a handful of injuries at the wide receiver spot, both Mitchell and Johnson took a handful reps with the first-team offense during minicamp.
Each said he was appreciative of the chance, even if things didn’t go as smoothly as they hoped.
“I thought it went great, just getting out here and being with the guys and the receiving group,” Mitchell said of his overall impression of spring practices. “There were some days that were up and down, like everything in sports, but I’m glad I was able to come out here and work and get better.”
Mitchell, who said there were a few practices that left him wanting more, added: “There’s always things you did good, and always things you did bad, so you just come out tomorrow and keep going.”
But both players are on the radar of Vikings Head Coach Mike Zimmer, who mentioned Johnson and Mitchell last week when he was a guest on KFAN’s 9 to Noon live broadcast from Twin Cities Orthopedics Performance Center with “Voice of the Vikings” Paul Allen.
“The two young receivers, I think [Bisi] Johnson has done a nice job,” Zimmer said. “And a lot of these guys are just young, so they’re raw.
“Like, Dillon Mitchell is a guy who can really, really run, but he’s got to work at the top of his routes a little bit,” Zimmer added. “He flails his arms when he’s going to break, and those are very good tells for a defensive back."
Mitchell said he’s been focused on not tipping his hand, so to speak, when trying to get open. He’s looked at Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs as role models in that area.
“I’ve grown mentally on how to run routes with guys like Xavier and the older DBs,” said Mitchell, who led the Pac-12 with 1,184 receiving yards in 2018. “They are able to tell anything in a route if you’re running it a certain way.
“Just becoming a route runner and getting better that way … we’re working through my whole route game and my whole route tree,” Mitchell added. “Just being consistent like 14 and 19 … that’s the level we want to get to.”