Some Vikings draft picks will see familiar faces at rookie minicamp

The Vikings' first two selections in the NFL draft came from USC: first-round receiver Jordan Addison and third-round cornerback Mekhi Blackmon.

They then drafted another pair of college teammates with their first two picks Saturday: fourth-round defensive back Jay Ward and fifth-round defensive tackle Jaquelin Roy, both from LSU.

The team's evaluators see unintended benefits.

"It's certainly nothing you plan on before the draft," said assistant director of player personnel Chisom Opara. "I really do think there is something cool about having somebody to go through it with."

Ward said he was on the phone with Vikings staffers on Saturday afternoon when he heard the team traded up to select Roy, his Tigers teammate from 2020-2022.

"I know what he can bring to the table," Ward said. "He definitely ain't going to let you down. He's a great player."

Blackmon knows what Addison can bring too. Asked Friday who won their battles in practice, he said: "It was give or take. You can tell, he's a real good receiver, but we made each other both better."

He added he was thankful to have Addison with him in Minnesota. "I feel like it's going to give both of us some comfortability, just knowing that we have someone else that we know, that we're familiar with going against each other at practice," Blackmon said.

The Vikings have recent LSU products in their starting lineup: edge rusher Danielle Hunter (2015 third-round pick), receiver Justin Jefferson (2020 first-round pick) and guard Ed Ingram (2022 second-round pick). And defensive backs coach Daronte Jones was LSU's defensive coordinator in 2021.

But the Vikings' LSU connection doesn't yet reach the Eagles' bond with Georgia. Philadelphia has drafted five Bulldogs, all defensive players, in the past two years.