The Minnesota Vikings’ incoming rookies made a notable appearance at Target Field during the Minnesota Twins’ recent American League matchup against the Tampa Bay Rays.
For one of these rookies, the experience was quite memorable, albeit for unexpected reasons. As one of them put it, “That was scary.” However, the apprehension didn’t stem from the baseball game itself, which concluded with a narrow 7-6 victory in favor of the Twins. Instead, it arose from their attempts at throwing the ceremonial first pitches.
Both J.J. McCarthy and Dallas Turner, the Vikings’ first-round picks in the 2024 NFL Draft, found themselves unable to deliver their throws accurately to coach Tommy Watkins, who was stationed to catch the ceremonial pitches.
McCarthy, hailing from Michigan and drafted as the 10th overall pick by the Vikings, and Turner, a linebacker from Alabama selected seven picks later, struggled to connect with Watkins during the ceremony.
In a strategic move to secure Turner, the Vikings executed a significant trade during the draft, relinquishing four draft choices to the Jacksonville Jaguars. This exchange involved trading away the 23rd and 167th picks in the 2024 draft, along with their third- and fourth-round picks in the 2025 draft.
With the conclusion of Minnesota’s offseason program just last week, the team’s focus now turns towards preparing its rookies for training camp, scheduled to commence on July 21. The Vikings are slated to open their preseason schedule with a game against the Las Vegas Raiders on August 10, followed by their regular-season kickoff against the New York Giants on September 8. These upcoming events mark critical milestones as the Vikings integrate their new recruits into the team ahead of the 2024 NFL season.
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