Viktor
Well-known member
- Mar 19, 2019
- 2,552
- 0
3. Battling it out
Perhaps one of the most interesting position battles to watch in the coming months will be the competition at receiver behind Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs.
While those two players are established, the group behind them has the chance to earn some reps. Laquon Treadwell, Chad Beebe and Brandon Zylstra return from 2018, and the Vikings also added Jordan Taylor in free agency earlier this month.
On Saturday, the Vikings spent a pair of seventh-round picks on wide receivers Dillion Mitchell (Oregon) and Olabisi Johnson (Colorado State).
“We haven’t evaluated them on the practice field yet, so that evaluation part starts this weekend coming up with the rookie mini-camp,” Spielman said of the seventh-round picks. “Then we’ll just – that’s what training camp is for. All we want to do is get the best 90-man roster we can possibly get right now.
“Both of them are very athletic. Dillon Mitchell has explosive speed and play making ability,” Spielman added. “Olabisi is a very quick-twitched athlete for a bigger receiver that has excellent hands. So we’ll get a better sense [next week].”
Mitchell had 1,184 receiving yards in 2018, which led the Pac 12 and was a school single-season record. He also had 10 touchdown catches.
Johnson caught 125 passes for 2,019 yards and 11 touchdowns (16.2 yards per reception) in four seasons at Colorado State.
4. Getting to 90
The Vikings made 12 picks, meaning their roster is now up to 79 players in all. Spielman said the team will look to add undrafted free agents and get the total to 90 before rookie minicamp opens next week.
“We’re going to get the best 90 guys in here, and once they get here we’re going to play the best players,” Spielman said. “We’re here to win football games”
The goal, Spielman said, is to bring in the best possible players and create the most competition around.
But Spielman also noted that just because a guy isn’t drafted, it doesn’t mean he has no chance to make the roster.
“We’re up there hammering away and spending money and trying to get the best guys we can get in here,” Spielman said. “They’re finalizing that now, but think about how many college free agents are on this roster right now. How many guys in college free agency have started for us? From the Eric Wilsons to the Anthony Harrises. We have a lot of guys, Thielen and C.J. Ham.
“So we have a lot of guys and a lot of college free agents that come in here and make this football team, and I think that’s why — we drafted a corner in the first round and have [three] first-round corners and a second-round corner and Holton Hill played for us last year,” Spielman added. “[If] you drafted or if you come in as a college free agent or if you come in as a rookie tryout guy next weekend, we’re going to try to find the best players that are going to help us win football games. That’s kind of been the philosophy since [Head Coach Mike] Zimmer has been here, and I believe in that, too.”