Five Things to Watch in Vikings' Preseason Opener vs. Seahawks

Rookies Jaren Hall and Ivan Pace Jr. are among the key players to observe on Thursday night.

Preseason football is another key step towards the real thing. The team on the field may not resemble the group that will be out there a month from now in Week 1 of the regular season, but it's far from meaningless for the players fighting for their dream.

The Vikings' 2023 preseason slate begins on Thursday night against the Seahawks in Seattle (9:00 p.m. CT, NFL Network/FOX 9). After two weeks of training camp practices, this is the first of three chances for players up and down Minnesota's 90-man roster to show what they can do in an actual game setting.

"There's a transition from shorts to pads and how certain guys start to look, certain guys start to stand out," Vikings special teams coordinator Matt Daniels said. "But there's also a transition from practice to the game, when the big bright lights come on. I'm excited to see (which) guys start to show up in the game, in the heat of the moment."

Most of the Vikings' starters won't play a snap, but that doesn't mean this exhibition contest lacks intrigue. Here are five things to keep an eye on during Thursday night's action:

Jaren Hall's NFL debut

Presumably, quarterbacks Nick Mullens and Jaren Hall will each play roughly a half of football in this game. And while it'll be interesting to see what Mullens does, he's already mostly a known quantity as a sixth-year backup QB with 17 career starts.

With Hall, the fifth-round rookie out of BYU, this will be his first taste of what it's like to play in an NFL game. Everything he's spent the last three months and change learning and practicing will, for the first time, be put to the test at full speed against an unfamiliar opponent. I'm very curious to see how he responds to the moment.

Obviously, a rough outing wouldn't mean Hall has no NFL future, just like a great outing wouldn't mean he's going to be a starter someday. It's the first preseason game of his rookie season, after all. With that said, it would be encouraging for the Vikings if Hall runs a smooth ship and shows some flashes of dual-threat potential on Thursday night.

"Just executing one play at a time," offensive coordinator Wes Phillips said. "There's gonna be bad plays in there, but can he bounce back show us that it doesn't faze him?"

Backup running back competition

New Vikings starting running back Alexander Mattison won't play in this game. Kene Nwangwu will likely also miss it due to injury. That means there should be plenty of carries for Ty Chandler, DeWayne McBride, and Abram Smith. In a backfield where the roles and roster spots behind Mattison seem to be wide open, a strong preseason could go a long way.

Chandler had a big 2022 preseason as a rookie, running for 113 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. He'll look to keep rolling as he tries to secure the RB2 job in this offense. McBride, the seventh-round rookie out of UAB, should be fun to watch; he put up huge numbers in college and will look to show that he can avoid fumbles and maybe even catch some passes out of the backfield. Smith, who was signed a week ago, was the XFL's leading rusher earlier this year and can make his first big Vikings impression in this game.

Depth wide receivers

The Vikings have a clear top three at wide receiver in Justin Jefferson, K.J. Osborn, and Jordan Addison. According to Kevin O'Connell, Addison will play in this game, but I'd imagine he won't play much if he does play at all. Likely out due to injury are Jalen Nailor, Trishton Jackson, and Lucky Jackson.

That means it's time for some of the Vikings' other receivers to shine. Vets Brandon Powell and Jalen Reagor are probably fighting for the WR5 job and could get some run on Thursday. Newcomers N'Keal Harry and Jacob Copeland could play if they're up to speed on the playbook. Two other guys to watch are Blake Proehl and Thayer Thomas, who are both quality route-runners with some sneaky athleticism.

Ivan Pace Jr. szn

The Vikings rookies drawing the most hype recently are their first-round pick and...an undrafted free agent. Ivan Pace Jr. has been one of the main standouts of training camp, displaying the tools and ability that made him a unanimous All-American linebacker at Cincinnati last year. He went undrafted because he's 5'10" and 230 pounds, and he's using that as fuel.

Pace may be small, but he possesses great instincts and is explosive to the ball. He just flies around and makes plays, especially when coming downhill (as evidenced by his 21 tackles for loss in 2022). Watching him play in college is one thing, but I'm thrilled to observe Pace's first game in a Vikings uniform. Unlike practices, he can actually hit people in this setting.

Even veteran Harrison Smith has taken notice of Pace; Smith predicted in an NFL Network interview that No. 40 will show up on some tape from this Seattle game.

Everyone else

Although I may be particularly curious about the players mentioned in the first four sections, every Viking who takes the field on Thursday is worth paying attention to.

How about the young defensive backs, from rookies Mekhi Blackmon and Jay Ward to slightly older guys like Tay Gowan and Joejuan Williams? How will second-year players Lewis Cine and Andrew Booth Jr. look? Will any of the undrafted rookies stand out?

In the trenches, recent draft picks Vederian Lowe and Jaquelin Roy are among the top players to watch.

Tight ends and linebackers are important too. Even special teams reps promise to be interesting to the die-hard fan, as those are great opportunities for players to prove their worth as they battle for a spot on the 53-man roster or 16-man practice squad.

Preseason or not, football is back — and that's always exciting.

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