Dalvin Cook took a handoff, burst through a hole on the right side and sprinted downfield toward the end zone.
OK, so there was no tackling Friday on the first day of Vikings rookie minicamp. Still, the young running back showed everybody what he could do in his first workout as a pro.
“I think he might be the best back in this rookie class,” Vikings rookie linebacker Elijah Lee said. “I want to hype him up and encourage him that he’s going to be the best and go for a big award.”
The Vikings picked up Cook out of Florida State in the second round of last week’s NFL draft. A player many experts believed would go in the first round, Cook could be the long-term replacement for Adrian Peterson, a future hall of famer the Vikings decided not to bring back as a free agent. He went on to sign with the New Orleans Saints.
While Lee was hyping Cook during the first day of the three-day camp, Cook was trying to remain humble, saying he’s not worried about starting as a rookie.
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“That’s not my ultimate goal,’’ Cook said. “My ultimate goal is to find my role, just come in and contribute to the team anywhere possible and help the team win.’’
Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said it’s too early to speculate whether the starter will be Cook or Latavius Murray, who will miss all of spring drills following ankle surgery. Still, Zimmer likes what he sees from Cook.
“He showed acceleration, good feet, good vision, a lot of the same things we saw on tape,” Zimmer said after the morning walkthrough and before the afternoon practice. “(He’s) a good kid; seems smart in the blitz pickup drill they had down there.”
Vikings broadcaster and former linebacker Ben Leber said he expects Cook and center Pat Elflein, a third-round pick, both to start as rookies. Elflein said he would have no problem making calls on the line as a rookie.
“That’s the job of the center and if that’s what it is, then that’s what it is,” Elflein said. “That’s a long ways down the road. I just have to keep getting better and keep learning.”
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Elflein played guard his first four years at Ohio State before moving to center as a redshirt senior. He said he can play guard if the Vikings need him there.
There has been one position change among Minnesota’s 11 drafted players. Seventh-round pick Jack Tocho, a cornerback at North Carolina State, has been moved to safety.
“Football IQ,” Tocho said of what he brings to the position. “Just my understanding of the game and being able to communicate and see things develop.”
All the draftees are participating in this weekend’s minicamp after signing injury protection agreements. None have signed contracts.
The Vikings signed all their draftees before their rookie minicamp in 2015 and all but first-round pick Laquon Treadwell in 2016. However, sources said this time there are ongoing discussions between agents and the Vikings about language in the contracts and how it relates to the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Zimmer said “it’s not a big deal” that no draftees have signed yet. Vikings officials are optimistic the deals will get done this month.
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Of the roughly 60 players in camp, 13 are undrafted free-agent signees, 10 were on the roster before the draft, including receiver Moritz Bohringer, and the rest are tryout players. Tryout players include former Gophers receiver Drew Wolitarsky and Tommy Armstrong, a quarterback at Nebraska who worked Friday at running back.
For most of the players, it was their first NFL practice.
“Now that I’m here in Minnesota, it feels real, seeing my name on the locker, having my number up there, too,” said Lee, a seventh-round pick.
It was a spirited practice that included tight end Bucky Hodges, a sixth-round draft pick, getting into a brief shoving match with undrafted free-agent defensive end Tashawn Bower.
