One would think Sharrif Floyd spent the offseason shopping for new clothes.

But Floyd said that wasn’t the case. Even though the second-year Vikings defensive tackle lost 30 pounds before training camp, he claims he didn’t have to get a new wardrobe.

“No, everything still fits,” Floyd said. “I didn’t have to go shopping, so it was a blessing for me.”

What could be a blessing for the Vikings is how a slimmed-down Floyd performs this season.

The 6-foot-3 Floyd weighed 330 pounds before he gave up eating meat March. When he showed up for training camp last month, he was down to 300 and moving well.

“I’m feeling a lot better,” he said. “It’s much easier on my knees. … I feel good and have confidence in my body weight.”

There was a time the Vikings’ confidence in Floyd might have slipped. He had a so-so rookie season after being taken with the No. 23 pick in the 2013 NFL draft.

There was some talk before the 2014 draft in May that the Vikings might look to take Aaron Donald as a defensive tackle of the future. But Floyd looked pretty good, thanks partly to his weight loss, at a minicamp shortly before the draft, and Minnesota eventually took linebacker Anthony Barr with the No. 9 pick, four selections before Donald went to St. Louis.

Now, Floyd will start the regular season as the replacement for Kevin Williams, who departed as a free agent after 11 seasons as a starter. He’s vowing his weight loss will give him some serious staying power.

“I just feel lighter,” Floyd said. “I feel healthier. I feel like I can last a lot longer in the games and stuff like that. I feel great all-around as a player.”

With Floyd’s weight loss and improved technique, Vikings coaches are looking for him to be a better pass rusher.

“He’s been pretty consistent in his run stuff, but last week was the first time he really got good as far as pushing the pocket inside as far as the pass rush,” defensive coordinator George Edwards said of the 30-28 preseason win over Arizona. “It’s something he’s been working on.”

Follow Chris Tomasson at twitter.com/christomasson.