Life can be hard for a rookie in the NFL. You need to join a whole new locker room filled with people you’ve never met, and perfect your craft at a pace you’ve never even dreamed of. And when you’re taken in the NFL draft, the expectations shoot even higher.

Plenty of rookies have been overwhelmed, but the 2018 Vikings draft class is taking the transition in stride. There’s always speculation about how rookies will transition to the NFL, but they don’t seem worried.

“[The playbook] is fine,” said Brian O’Neill, rookie tackle out of Pitt. “We had a whole bunch of time in the summer, and the vets made it really easy. Put in a couple hours a day and you’ll come out here a lot easier.” In other words, he’s feeling the impact of playbook study when it’s time to actually execute.

Tyler Conklin, a 5th round rookie tight end, said, “The playbook is a little more intense, and there’s a little more detail to it, but at the end of the day it’s just football. You’re just playing the game that you love.” Both he and O’Neill praised the veterans in their position group for helping them along and setting examples of how to work, and how to improve.

A recurring theme of rookies at training camp is their relationship with the veterans. The Vikings have superstars littered across their roster, and that excellence trickles down to the younger players.

Jalyn Holmes, a 4th round rookie defensive lineman from Ohio State, was asked about which veteran defensive linemen are helping him the most: “Sheldon helped me with a lot of stuff. Even when I’m down on myself, he’s the first one to come up to me – ‘pick your head up’ – making sure I’m good.”

Mike Hughes, the 1st round corner out of UCF, is taking full advantage of the wealth of knowledge in that room. “[Rhodes, Alexander and Newman] have been throwing me knowledge. I’ve been taking bits and pieces from everybody’s game and trying to add it to mine to make myself a better player.”

Even lining up across from superstars can help a player develop. Brian O’Neill has taken plenty of reps against the Vikings’ superstar defensive ends.

On the jump in competition, O’Neill said, “When it becomes real life against a guy like Everson or Danielle, you can’t get away with just being a better athlete than everybody. Because A) you’re not now, and B) these guys are too good.”

Often, a player will be drafted for his excellence in college at one position, but asked to play another. That applies to a couple of the Vikings’ newly minted rookies, including Mike Hughes, who’s moving from outside corner to slot corner.

Mike Zimmer understands the difficulty of moving an outside corner into the slot, especially from college to the pros. “If it’s just man-to-man, it’s not that much different. Some of the zones, you might have to carry a vertical, and then see another guy coming and pull off the vertical”. An outside corner may be used to taking a vertical throughout an entire play, but things are more complex for Hughes than they were.

Mike Hughes didn’t have a lot of experience at slot corner before Minnesota. He said, “I’m just trying to be a sponge, absorb everything in, all the information I can handle. Not only from the playbook, but from the vets that have done it.” But he’s confident in his ability to improve day over day.

Jalyn Holmes has been transitioning from 5-technique (or defensive end) to 3-technique (or defensive tackle). “Inside, everything’s a lot faster because you’re closer to the ball. You just gotta be ready to react to whatever the Guard is doing.” Holmes said. “When you’re at 5 technique, it’s a little delayed, so you got time to think about what you’re gonna do, but 3-tech is right away.”

As for how that’s going? “You can see his improvement from day to day, and that’s what we look for.” Defensive coordinator George Edwards seems to be on board so far.

Each rookie is dealing with their own challenges. But with a stable of veterans willing to help at every turn, Minnesota is a perfect destination for players with a lot to learn.

Thanks for reading!

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