Talent has never been the issue for Jalen Nailor. Now in his third season, the 2022 sixth-round pick out of Michigan State has been a standout practice performer since the day he entered the NFL. He finished his rookie season with seven catches for 151 yards and a touchdown in a two-game stretch against the Packers and Bears, then had a dynamite offseason in 2023. Big things seemed to be in store.
The thing that has held Nailor back throughout his career is health. He was limited to 28 games over his four-year college career due to injuries. Last season, he managed just six games and three receptions because of two different stints on injured reserve. Nailor went on IR in September, returned in November, and then had his season end with a concussion in December.
"Jalen has done everything we've asked of him, and that really has not changed since we drafted him," Kevin O'Connell said on Saturday. "Things happen that are unfortunate sometimes, and adversity hits guys, and we certainly don't get to have any say in the matter. All Jalen's trying to do is make sure — what am I doing pre-practice, what am I doing post-practice, what am I doing throughout practice to make sure I can handle the workload. ... We're all very optimistic about Jalen because he's proven what he is as a football player. It's not a question of that."
If Nailor can stay healthy, the Vikings' WR3 job is his for the taking. K.J. Osborn is gone, opening a sizable role for someone like Nailor or Brandon Powell or Trent Sherfield. So far at this year's training camp, Nailor is clearly in the lead in that competition. He made some big plays on Thursday and then came back with an even better performance on Saturday.
The Vikings' 7-on-7 period in the low red zone turned into the Nailor show today. In a span of a few minutes, he caught a touchdown pass from each of the Vikings' top three quarterbacks. He made a nice lunging grab on a ball from Sam Darnold, snagged a one-handed catch on a Nick Mullens pass that was slightly behind him, and then leapt up in the back corner of the end zone and got both feet down for a score from J.J. McCarthy. It was a display of the full skill set that Nailor possesses as a quick, fluid, and explosive route runner at 6-foot, 190 pounds.
Let's go over a few more takeaways from Saturday's practice, which saw fans fill the stands for the first time on a 90-degree day in Eagan.
The daily QB update
Like the first two full-speed practices of training camp, QB1 Darnold and QB2 McCarthy dominated reps within the Vikings' four-man quarterback room. This was the second straight day where McCarthy looked more like the more impressive of the two, although both had their ups and downs.
It's still early in camp, so you try not to read too much into it, but Darnold had a fairly shaky day. He threw an incomplete hospital ball to Justin Jefferson early in practice (meaning he would've led Jefferson into a big hit if it were a game). In the red zone period, he stared down Johnny Mundt and threw an interception directly to Harrison Smith in the end zone. And Darnold should've had a second pick that was dropped by safety Theo Jackson. To be fair, the veteran also had his fair share of completions and good throws, including his daily deep ball highlight when he hit Jordan Addison on a bomb down the sideline towards the end of the day.
McCarthy was cooking in the red zone period. He went 4 for 5 in that setting, with touchdown passes to Nailor, Lucky Jackson, and Trey Knox. The fourth completion was a dump-off to Kene Nwangwu that may or may not have resulted in a score if tackling were in play. The lone incompletion was a ball that was too hot and a bit too high for Sammis Reyes. Overall, McCarthy looked smooth, decisive, and accurate during the red zone work.
When the Vikings went back to 11-on-11 work, McCarthy had a rookie moment when he was late trying to fit a ball into a tight window with two defenders in the area. Theo Jackson seemed to read it all the way and jumped the route for a pick.
Both Darnold and McCarthy have had their good moments and their bad ones as they've tried to deal with the relentless pressure and complex coverage looks that Brian Flores presents to them. But if you're declaring a winner of each day, Darnold took Day 1 and McCarthy gets each of the last two.
Reichard looks good
The Vikings debuted their kicking competition on Saturday, and Alabama rookie Will Reichard looked like a guy prepared to win it. He went 5 for 5 on field goals ranging from around 33 to 48 yards, making it look easy in the process. His competitor, John Parker Romo, went 3 for 4 with a miss to the left. As one of just three kickers drafted this year, Reichard is the clear favorite for the job in Minnesota.
Other notes
* Shaq Griffin was absent from practice and could miss a week or so with a leg injury. In his absence, Akayleb Evans was the Vikings’ full-time CB2 with the starting defense. Duke Shelley and Andrew Booth Jr. also mixed in with the 1s.
* Andrew Van Ginkel (foot) participated in 11-on-11 action for the first time.
* Dallas Turner had a would-be sack of McCarthy at one point and looks good. It’ll be fun to watch him when pads come on for the first time on Monday.
* Jay Ward nearly picked off Mullens in the red zone period.
* Jaren Hall gets very little work in these practices, but to his credit, he went 3 for 3 in his one stint today. That included a big gain to Thayer Thomas on a blown coverage.
