Vikings rookie minicamp: What we learned, including a new QB and two intriguing young CBs

Rookie minicamp is a sign that the real action is inching closer.

Free agency is over, and the Minnesota Vikings have completed the NFL Draft. The NFL schedule will be announced next week, and organized team activities will commence soon after.

There weren’t many surprises on Friday. Donovan Jackson, the team’s first-round pick, participated in drills with offensive line coach Chris Kuper and assistant O-line coach Keith Carter. The defensive line practiced stunts on one side of the field, while the offense practiced route concepts.

What did we learn? Here are three thoughts following the afternoon workout.

Tommi Hill: The most interesting player at minicamp?

A few months ago, at the scouting combine in Indianapolis, Travis Hunter was asked to identify the toughest cornerbacks he faced in college football. Hunter didn’t name anybody specifically, but he mentioned players from two schools: Nebraska and Oklahoma State.

The Cornhusker in question was Tommi Hill. At one time, Hill, 23, was projected by some draft analysts to be an early-round pick. He played in only seven games this past season for coach Matt Rhule and struggled mightily down the stretch. Still, The Athletic’s Dane Brugler graded him as a fifth- or sixth-round talent.

Hill went undrafted. Lingering plantar fasciitis concerns likely played a role. Hill’s topsy-turvy college path, going from Arizona State to Nebraska, may have also mattered. The Vikings, though, invited him in as a tryout player during rookie minicamp. It won’t be an easy path to the roster, but Hill’s progress is worth monitoring.

“I’ve got to prove a lot,” he said. “Prove to everybody that I should’ve been drafted, even when I got hurt.”

Hill accepted an invitation to the Senior Bowl but said he was still navigating injuries. The decision to play, he said, was “because I hadn’t put a helmet on in a minute.” In other words, he believed he needed to remind NFL evaluators what he was capable of.

The film leaves little doubt, especially in the matchup with Colorado and Hunter. Hill recalled a wildly impressive pick six in the first quarter of that game against Shedeur Sanders. Nebraska, he said, lined up in Cover 4. Hill hollered at teammate Malcolm Hartzog Jr. to pinch down toward the line of scrimmage to trick Sanders into thinking they were playing Cover 3. Sanders, Hill said, believed he could throw an out route to the flat. Hill read the play immediately, snagged the pass with outstretched arms and trotted into the end zone.

As for the matchup with Hunter, Hill said he wanted to get in Hunter’s head.

“He’s a trash-talker,” Hill said. “I’m a trash-talker, too. I can trash-talk the whole game if I need to.”

What led the Vikings to QB Max Brosmer?

Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell attends the Minnesota Golden Gophers’ pro day each spring. He and Gophers coach P.J. Fleck have developed a rapport. The Gophers typically have some interesting draft prospects, and O’Connell likes to support the program. Unsurprisingly, the coach’s eyes often wander to the quarterbacks.

Because underclassmen could participate in pro days last year, quarterback Max Brosmer was there. O’Connell viewed Brosmer’s sidearm release and noticed his ball placement and drop consistency. He filed the impression away.

It came in handy this year. Brosmer thought he could be selected on Day 3 of the draft but was not and became an undrafted free agent. O’Connell is not one to pass up on quarterbacks he feels can contribute, both to the dynamics in the room and to what’s possible on the field. So, the Vikings offered Brosmer an opportunity.

“We’ve spent some time with their coaching staff,” O’Connell said. “Sharing ideas, how we do things, some of the ways we teach things. So, there’s good carryover with some things that he’s done.”

Brosmer didn’t perform perfectly on Friday. He threw multiple interceptions, though in these camps, mistakes like that can often be blamed on receiver positioning. He did, though, layer a few passes perfectly toward the sideline. He looked comfortable progressing with reads as well.

The Vikings have been intentional with the way they’ve constructed their quarterback room around J.J. McCarthy. It’s youth. It’s positive energy. It’s professionalism. Though Brosmer has not played in an NFL game, and though his ceiling may be limited by his athletic traits and arm strength, his intangibles should fit nicely with how McCarthy operates.

The play of the day

Last year, the Minnesota staff identified cornerback Dwight McGlothern as an undrafted prospect who could compete for a roster spot. McGlothern impressed in training camp and even secured an interception in Cleveland during joint practices. His development remains an intriguing layer to this spring and summer in an unproven cornerback room.

But he’ll have competition.

Maybe the most impressive play of the day occurred on the left sideline, as Brosmer tried to layer a pass into a pocket in the defense’s zone coverage. Zemaiah Vaughn, an undrafted cornerback from Utah, leaped and secured the interception.

Afterward, defensive passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach Daronte Jones and even O’Connell patted Vaughn on the helmet. The undrafted signee is a classic Brian Flores corner. He’s long at 6-foot-2 and 186 pounds and can run. His ball skills were particularly evident on this particular play.

Morgan Scalley, the defensive coordinator at Utah, said recently, “With that length and speed and (Vaughn’s) ability to sink his hips, I think his best football is ahead of him.”

Vaughn is a former quarterback from Beaumont, Texas, who has been playing defense for fewer than five seasons. The Vikings weren’t the only team to prioritize him in undrafted free agency. One AFC executive commended Minnesota for securing Vaughn’s services. Vaughn’s aptitude and ability to pick up the defense may ultimately decide his chances of pushing McGlothern for a roster spot.

At a bare minimum, it can’t hurt for Minnesota to have additional enticing young cornerbacks.