EAGAN, Minn. — Nothing can compete with the surge of a victory Monday in the NFL, but the first Monday of a new year's offseason workout program ranks high for Vikings Head Coach Kevin O'Connell.

"Always love this building when we've got players in it," O'Connell told Twin Cities media members about four hours after players and coaches held their first meeting at Twin Cities Orthopedics Performance Center. "It's one of my favorite times of the year, whether it's players we've added, impactful guys we've brought back, and seeing the group of guys in that team meeting room to kick it all off, fantastic for us as coaches, and as we continue to kind of steamroll through our roles in the offseason, getting the players back and getting them going."

The "impactful guys" include Harrison Smith, Aaron Jones, Sr., and Byron Murphy, Jr., who each spoke on Monday, as well. Smith described the tone being set for his 14^th NFL season.

"One of the things I shared with the guys this morning, they hear it in this meeting every year, no matter what we built here — no matter what the players, more importantly, have built here — from a culture standpoint, winning a lot of football games, that really doesn't mean a whole lot," O'Connell relayed to media members when asked to summarize his first message to this year's team. "This is a new team, this is a new version of the Minnesota Vikings in 2025, and I think it's important that we really evaluate individually and collectively, what are we doing on a daily basis to make sure that we can reinvent and become what we've been, but push beyond that and really start — we've made it to the playoffs two out of the last three years. But when I look at it, and I really think about our football teams in those moments, were we a championship-worthy team? That's for everyone to decide.

"But we know here, the little areas, the small improvements that we can make, and why wait to when those games get a little bit closer on the horizon, why wait to talk like that? We should be talking in a way where every action, everything we say, think and do, needs to be applied with what we all know that common goal is," he added. "But the way this league works in 17 games and trying to find your way to punch your ticket into the playoffs is one thing, but what's it like when you get there? What's your football team like? What's the makeup of your team look like? And how does that translate to having a real chance to go, to go after that Lombardi Trophy? So I think this time of year, it's just Phase 1. We're on a very limited schedule with these guys. You don't want to come out and give your best pep talk you've ever had, but you need to make sure that these guys know from day one we have laser focus on getting a little bit better, on finding ways to improve, being selfish about being a great teammate and committing to this time of year for the value that it does still have. And then let's take it with that same minute-by-minute approach, maximizing our time together, and see what that looks like when this eight, nine weeks ends."

Here are four other takeaways from O'Connell's session.

1. No limits for J.J. McCarthy

Second-year pro J.J. McCarthy got a head start on the opening of the voluntary offseason program via the rehab work the quarterback has been doing since his rookie season was derailed by a torn meniscus.

O'Connell said the Vikings anticipate no physical limitations for McCarthy as the program progresses to on-field work late next month.

"The big thing is he's done a phenomenal job with what I would really call invisible habits, invisible work that he's done when really nobody's been watching, in many ways, solidifying and finalizing his rehab, then on into a phase where he's really been able to push it on the field from throws and working his technique and fundamentals," O'Connell said. "And then ultimately, you know, the mental side of it, as well. He's always working. And now he gets the ability to from day one, learn everything as we go through our installations multiple times this spring, and just the different checkpoints, I think the spring is set up perfectly for J.J. with where he's at, from a standpoint of Phase 1 being in a classroom setting, running and lifting and continuing what he's been able to do while a lot of his teammates haven't been here.

"Now, the group comes back. He continues that, and then eventually gets on the field, and we can start throwing and catching a little bit before finalizing those two-three weeks of OTAs and minicamp, where you get a little dabble of that competitive feel, running the huddle, running the show," O'Connell said. "So all of it is going to be kind of systematically planned out for him, and I think he's ready to attack it."

2. Injury updates

O'Connell also was asked specifically about the progress of Christian Darrisaw, who suffered a torn ACL in Week 8 last October.

"I'm glad you asked about Christian, and I'll give you guys a couple updates on a few players, but Christian has absolutely knocked it out of the park so far, working alongside our staff here. He's had a really, really good offseason up until this point," O'Connell said. "The latest update I got, you know, he's listening, he's running, he's doing things that are, depending on timelines and all those things, I've long told you guys what diplomas I don't have on the wall, besides my one from San Diego State that I'm very proud of, a medical degree is not one of them, but the player that I see right now, and the player that I know his teammates came back to see today, people were pretty excited about where he's at now.

"It's just a matter of maintaining, and he's had such a professional focus really from day one, remarkably, he's just had such a good attitude about attacking it, knowing exactly what he is and who he is as a player, and working his way right back to that at that place and beyond. So feel really good about that," O'Connell added. "We talked about J.J. a little bit, but, you know, I'd consider him full, really no limitations. Mekhi Blackmon is a guy kind of heading toward the end point of that rehab from his ACL, and I see him progressing to football activities here as we move through the spring. Javon Hargrave is another one that will probably be limited a little bit early on but should progress throughout the spring and then Will Fries and Hargrave are kind of in a similar spot, but I expect those guys to progress at a pretty good clip, especially as we head toward Phase 2. We had a couple other guys with little cleanups and things here and there, but all those players are full, so we are in a good spot. We need to make sure that for those injured players that rehab and their individualized program remains the most important thing, but mixing in some meetings and talking a little ball here and there is always a healthy thing as well."

3. Goals for the draft

Given the number of variables that occur during a draft, as well as factors that impact what happens with selections, some believe it is best to have as many choices as possible.

This year, the Vikings are entering the draft with four selections, which would be the fewest in the 65 years of the franchise's draft history (2008 and 2009 are tied for the fewest with five).

It's one thing to assess a draft class (and I'm sure there will be no shortage of report cards), but it's a bit incomplete of an evaluation if a team's actions during free agency aren't added to an overall assessment of the offseason.

O'Connell was asked about the goals for this year's draft in which Minnesota has the 24^th, 97^th, 139^th and 187^th overall picks (selections could change via trades).

"I think the starting point on all of that would be looking at what we did in free agency, where I truly do feel like we have a roster that really, I don't know if we're going to be on the clock at any one of those particular four picks and think we need to do anything," O'Connell said. "But at the same time, I think where the depth of this draft is, you know, you're not just drafting for 2025. You're trying to build something that sustains, and what does your depth look like at different positions? And where can you have really competitive situations that will make your team better?"

O'Connell pointed out that the Vikings have undergone an extensive review.

"I think we've gone about the process as if we have much more than four picks. It certainly feels like it, and I'm sure it'll really feel like it on Thursday and Friday and Saturday, when we're recognizing a lot of these names that are getting selected, but at the same time, when our picks come up, we should have a really, really good feel for the players in those areas, and have done a lot of work on the players that we will be adding to the team," O'Connell said. "So don't look at it as anything more than a positive outcome from what we did in free agency. A lot of the guys we targeted are Minnesota Vikings, and that's across offense, defense, that's across a lot of different positions. And to know that the target-to-get-them-to-sign ratio, we're hitting for a pretty good average right now, for a lot of different reasons, a lot of different people who put in a lot of hard work and what this place has become. Players want to come play here, so now we've got a roster we feel like we can really, truly be selective on who we're going to pick and what that looks like in conjunction with what our depth charts and our team already look like."

4. Role of the coaching staff to support the personnel department

This is the fourth year that O'Connell and General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah have undergone draft preparations. Each year they've continued to self-evaluate and try to find ways where each of their staffs can help support primary functions of the other group.

"We've got experience of working through different phases of the offseason together, the draft being one of those things, how we go about deploying the coaches to really supplement the scouting department, the guys that are out and about year-round, learning about a lot of these players, and then when we're able to come back, have the kind of dialogue that we've had," O'Connell said. "It's led to some big-picture discussions that maybe impact decisions that you're not even talking about in that moment. But other times, it's been about finding the best possible fits and really working through what the draft is, which is a unique opportunity to add talent to your team.

"I want to make sure he gets everything that he needs from myself and the coaching staff to really pair with the hard work that our great personnel department does to make sure we're just making high-quality decisions that have been run through a really good process, and ultimately, a really, really good time of year to have the big picture in mind, but then also understanding what each individual move at this point with what we've done in a really successful free agency, what that can mean to this year and beyond," O'Connell added. "Fun time of the year. Love getting to have the type of collaboration we have in this building. And I think we've really seen some good things come from that during our time here and have a blueprint for how we want to operate."

View the Vikings 2025 Draft Picks.

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