EAGAN, Minn. — The Vikings shortened their on-field time Wednesday, the second day of their 2025 mandatory minicamp, and applied a good bit of their effort into above-the-neck learning opportunities.

Minnesota opted to have a pre-practice walk-through before motoring through individual and positional drills.

The Vikings closed the session with red-zone work that included a 7-on-7 period and a team period at reduced speed.

Here are three observations presented by Minnesota Eye Consultants, the Proud LASIK Partner of the Minnesota Vikings:

1. "Speedy" Nailor finding spots

Jalen Nailor, who switched from No. 83 to No. 1 and bulked up in the offseason, was on the receiving end of a few passes from J.J. McCarthy.

Nailor found an opening in the back middle of the end zone, and McCarthy fired a strike to conclude their first series of plays during 7-on-7.

Nailor also created a window in the left of the end zone, enabling another TD pass and earning a, "Good job, Speedy!"

Vikings Offensive Coordinator Wes Phillips said Nailor "hasn't lost his ability to transition in and out of routes" despite adding muscle mass.

"I expect big things from Speedy, and I thought he had a really good year last year," Phillips said. "There's certain plays people can't get out of their heads. But if you look at the body of work, the guy played really good football for us last year, and I expect him to do similar things this year."

2. Jefferson's excellence displayed in two ways

Feel like it's not a minicamp without a Justin Jefferson appreciation post of some point.

The superstar receiver routinely makes the difficult look easy and was at it again Wednesday at the end of pat-and-go drills thrown by coaches.

Jefferson glided and reached with his right hand to spear a football that initially appeared overthrown.

While there are other NFL receivers capable of grabbing a pass with one hand, Jefferson also displayed his elite route running on a play against cornerback Isaiah Rodgers.

Jefferson executed an out-in-out cut similar to his successful play against former foe and last year's teammate Stephon Gilmore during Minnesota's epic comeback against Indianapolis in 2022 to break the NFL record for deficit overcome (33 points).

3. Eyeing punt returners

The Vikings have an opening this year at the punt returner spot after Brandon Powell became a free agent this spring.

Powell handled 23 returns for 164 yards (7.1 yards per return) in 2024. Nailor handled the only other punt return, which resulted in a muff at Green Bay in Week 4.

Nailor was among the players fielding punts Wednesday, along with Rodgers — who has returned three punts in the NFL (with the Colts from 2021-23) — and rookies Tai Felton, Silas Bolden and Myles Price.

Offseason addition Rondale Moore returned 21 punts a total of 171 yards for Arizona in 2021 and added one 11-yard return in 2023. He is recovering from a torn ACL suffered last year during training camp with Atlanta.

The job starts with a player's ability to track the football and make good decisions on whether to field the ball or let it bounce. If fielding, it is paramount to secure the catch before playing human "Frogger" for as many yards as possible.

There's only so much that can be simulated in practices, so the assessment will continue into preseason games.

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