The Minnesota Vikings are thinking big. The team has a lot of expectations heading into the upcoming season as they continue to build off momentum of last year. After significant roster upgrades highlighted by the addition of Mike Wallace and the return of Adrian Peterson, the team is operating with a lot of confidence as training camp approaches. Jerick McKinnon is no exception as he fights for a bigger role on the team in 2015.
Prior to Peterson returning to the field, McKinnon was looked at as the future of the run game in Minnesota. The second-year pro was forced into the spotlight last season after Peterson was suspended and was hoping to be the starter in 2015 until the veteran came back into the mix. McKinnon recently told the Pioneer Press, "If I had a fantasy team and could take myself, I would." While McKinnon will likely not see the field has much as he did in 2014, Peterson likes what he sees from the young player.
"He's a young guy who's improving,'' Peterson said. "I'm able to see that in the classroom and on the field, as well. He has been great at catching the ball and running the ball. To me, he seems more patient when it comes to pressing the holes and making the right reads.''
The Vikings have a lot of young players looking to make names for themselves in the coming season. Cordarrelle Patterson is still considered young as he enters his third season in the league. The wide receiver has plenty of pressure mounting on his shoulders as the Vikings remain hopeful he can finally look like that first-round pick they drafted out of Tennessee. The question is just how much time Patterson will get to prove himself.
According to the Pioneer Press, the Vikings favor a starting duo of Charles Johnson and Mike Wallace while Jarius Wright and Stefon Diggs impressed during OTAs and minicamp. That would mean Patterson is not a starter for the team and might not even be the fourth option. Offensive coordinator Norv Turner continues to keep the faith in Patterson who could find himself on the trade block sooner rather than later.
"He's in the mix. In my mind, he's in the mix," Turner said, via the Star Tribune's Matt Vensel. "I told our guys that when we start our games I hope we have 16 starters. You can only put 11 on the field at a time. But if we can get to where we are playing multiple people and giving defenses different looks and we have a lot of people contributing, it makes us much harder to defend. I think Cordarrelle's had a good offseason. We've got a good group of receivers, a good group of guys that can contribute, can compete."