Vikings cornerback Patrick Peterson looks forward to finally working with Ed Donatell

The last NFL coach to work Patrick Peterson out before the 2011 draft was Ed Donatell.

Peterson was the hot-shot, can't-miss cornerback from LSU. Donatell was defensive backs coach for a 49ers team that held the seventh overall pick in the draft.

The kid corner and the then-54-year-old coach hit it off immediately.

"Coach is a people's person," Peterson said Monday as the Vikings started their first offseason program under a new coaching staff that includes Donatell as defensive coordinator.

San Francisco lost out on Peterson 11 years ago when the Cardinals selected him fifth overall. Peterson went on to post eight Pro Bowl and three first-team All-Pro seasons in Arizona before joining the Vikings in 2021 and re-signing with them this offseason.

"Me and him have had a rapport over the years," Peterson said. "I played against him when he was in San Francisco. I played against him when he was with the Bears. We just always kept in contact.

"Just watching the scheme that he's always been around, it travels very well. No matter where he went, the numbers spoke for themselves. When I saw he was coming [to Minnesota], I was like, 'This would be a great opportunity to finally get to play for Coach Ed.' The opportunity presented itself and now I'm here."

Peterson said what he likes most about the 3-4 scheme Donatell adopted while working with Vic Fangio is its ability to confuse quarterbacks.

"That's what they've done, especially when they got there in San Francisco," said Peterson, referring to a four-year run in which the 49ers defense ranked second, second, fourth and 10^th in points allowed. "They didn't do anything spectacular. They didn't blitz a whole lot. They didn't do a lot of different fire zones. What they did was disguise a lot of their defenses to make the quarterback think a little bit longer to allow the pass rushers to get to the quarterback or force an errant throw to create a turnover.

"I think with the scheme, we have the players on this roster to continue the success that they've had in the past."

Peterson said he likes the Donatell, the person, more than Donatell, the schemer.

"Just always had great juice and positive energy," he said. "You could just tell he's a guy that wants to get to know the person. He couldn't care less about the football player. He wanted to get to know Patrick Peterson the person. Literally every time we met, he always asked about my family. It was never about the game. It was all about, 'How's the family? What's your next move? Hopefully one day I get to coach you because you was one of my favorites when I had the opportunity to recruit you when I was with San Fran.'

"Just seemed like a very genuine person and it's hard to not want to be around those kinds of people."

Count Vikings right tackle Brian O'Neill among the people who favor the signing of former Packers edge rusher Za'Darius Smith.

"I played him probably six, seven times, and he's had a lot of success against me, unfortunately," O'Neill said. "So I hope that he has a lot of success for us against other linemen in the NFC North."

Smith had 26 sacks for Green Bay in 2019-20 before back surgery limited him to two games a year ago. He had 4 ½ sacks against the Vikings in 2019-20, including a 3 ½-sack game at U.S. Bank Stadium in 2019.

"He brings great energy," O'Neill said. "He can play anywhere on the defensive line. … He can go inside and he can run stunts and twists from all of them, which not a lot of guys can do and be as effective in different positions. He can bring power and beat you with speed. He's kind of the total package in my opinion."

Asked if he's had to add anything to his offseason preparation now that he's a not-so-ripe 33 years of age, Harrison Smith smiled and said, "Yeah, I play more golf."

The 11-year safety said he maintains his playing weight throughout the entire year, even though he admitted his diet probably isn't as healthy as some older veterans and definitely nowhere close to the fanaticism of Tom Brady's TB12 routine.

"I've figured out what works for me and just try to get a little more limber and stay light, try something new, get on the basketball court a little bit, just to keep those different muscles working in the offseason," Smith said. "It's not always just about banging out weights, especially in the secondary, so just kind of keep it simple, do what's worked but also add some new stuff in and be conscious mostly of my weight when I show up."

Smith said reaching 10 seasons was a goal he set long ago. Now, he has another goal that's less definitive.

"As long as I'm productive and bringing something to the table and enjoying it," he said, "I'll play until they kick me out."