3 High-Octane Vikings Players Who Shined at Minicamp

Some Vikings players shined at minicamp . As in, they stood out as being players who looked unusually explosive and active. Putting pads on the fellas and allowing for greater physicality does change the calculus, meaning these assessments need to be understood as being educated guesses (at best). Take them for what they are within the understanding that more evidence — training camp and the preseason — will change opinions.

A gadget guy, perhaps, Dillon Bell looks like somebody who is all gas, no brakes. For good reason, Bell is getting plenty of hype.

The rookie receiver boasts good size and knows how to cut violently. Athletic trainers are going to need more tape to fix up the broken ankles of the poor defensive backs trying to slow Bell down.

Essentially, get the ball in his hands in green grass to let him do good things. Could he be a weapon on bubble screens? What about jet sweeps? Basically, find creative ways to put the ball into his hands to contribute toward keeping the other side off balance.

What’s going to make Bell undeniable is if he proves to be a weapon as a kickoff returner. Doing so will mean he makes the team.

The DT brings a glorious degree of chaos to the line of scrimmage.

Quite possibly, Ryan Nielsen is going to push him to a new level. He’s getting into his third NFL season, often the time when players really take a step. He always had an uphill climb due to playing for a smaller school and being a touch light to play defensive tackle. Plus, he got scooped up in the 7th, meaning nothing was guaranteed.

What’s evident, though, is that he has a high-level of compete. He moves with violent urgency, the kind of effort that can’t be taught. In some ways, it’s reminiscent of the Everson Griffen motor. I think Rodriguez is a starter in 2026.