Inside The Vikings

Vikings Training Camp Recap, Day 5: Pads Come On, Mekhi Blackmon Runs With 1s

Pads came on for the first time on Monday. Here's everything we observed.

Will Ragatz

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Training camp doesn't fully feel like training camp until the pads come on. That's when the intensity and physicality goes up a notch. Well, the Vikings held their first padded practice on Monday, and it was great to hear the iconic football sound of those pads popping as players collided.

The big story of the day was Danielle Hunter's return to practice, one day after he agreed to a reworked one-year deal. Hunter warmed up and did individual drills, but he didn't participate in the full-team periods. Today was the start of a two-week plan to ramp him back up to full speed, he said after practice.

Jalen Nailor and Brian O'Neill are still out with injuries, as are Chris Reed and Andre Carter II. Backup quarterback Nick Mullens missed Monday's practice because of a family matter, so rookie Jaren Hall received a ton of reps. We'll get to his day shortly.

First, how about a depth chart observation?

Mekhi Blackmon plays with 1s in red zone period

Up to this point, veteran Joejuan Williams has been the Vikings' third starting cornerback in nickel defense. Byron Murphy Jr. and Akayleb Evans are the clear top two on the depth chart, and when the team went to nickel, Murphy would slide inside and Williams would join Evans on the outside.

Interesting, that changed at the end of Monday's practice. During a red zone period, it was rookie Mekhi Blackmon playing with Murphy, Evans, and the rest of the first-team defense. Williams was with Andrew Booth Jr. and the second unit.

Does this mean Blackmon has suddenly surpassed Williams on the depth chart? Not necessarily. It's still very early in camp, so I'd imagine both players will see time with the 1s moving forward as they compete for that third starting job. But at the very least, it's a noteworthy change from last week's practices.

Blackmon had some fun one-on-one battles with fellow USC rookie Jordan Addison earlier in practice, with the two splitting a pair of reps. He's not your typical rookie; he's already 24 years old and spent six years at the college level. Blackmon looks like someone to watch closely moving forward.

Jaren Hall gets major reps...and mostly struggles

As mentioned earlier, Mullens was absent from this practice. That meant Kirk Cousins and Hall were the only two QBs on Monday, so both handled a ton of volume. That's normal for Cousins, who takes all of the first-team reps and has looked sharp throughout camp. It was a big change for Hall, who had been seeing limited reps as the third-stringer.

Unfortunately, and perhaps unsurprisingly, Hall struggled with the added volume. His mechanics look good, but he sailed more than a few throws on Monday, which is something that's been a recurring issue early in camp. It happened several times during 1-on-1s and again in the team period. One ball that wasn't high during 1-on-1s was jumped and intercepted by Harrison Smith. Hall was also under center for two false starts during 11-on-11 action, which may or may not have been his fault.

As a fifth-round rookie, Hall is going to go through growing pains in his first training camp. After an impressive practice last Thursday, he's had a few tougher days. It happens. It's far too early to come to any conclusions about Hall — or any player.

Other notes

  • Perhaps I'm too easily impressed by practice performance, but the Vikings seem to have legitimately excellent depth at wide receiver. Even looking beyond the top four of Justin Jefferson, K.J. Osborn, Jordan Addison, and Jalen Nailor, there are several intriguing guys. Trishton Jackson had the biggest highlight of 1-on-1s with a superb falling one-handed catch on a deep ball. Veteran Brandon Powell continues to be solid. And undrafted rookie Thayer Thomas is someone to keep an eye on as well — his route-running talent stood out during 1-on-1s.
  • Speaking of Addison...the kid can play. He is an incredibly twitchy athlete, which makes him tough to cover. Osborn is an important player, but something tells me Addison is going to end up as the No. 2 receiver in this offense sooner or later. The rookie got loose in the back corner of the end zone for a touchdown towards the end of the red zone session.
  • Murphy, Smith, and Lewis Cine had pass breakups on Monday. Smith's came on a rare poor throw from Cousins, who sailed a pass for T.J. Hockenson that Smith nearly picked off.
  • Josh Oliver is a large individual. He can really block.
  • Rookie RB DeWayne McBride got a bunch of carries today with the 2s.

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Will Ragatz
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