Day 2 of the NFL Scouting Combine is underway in Indianapolis, and Vikings Head Coach Mike Zimmer and his staff are preparing to evaluate upcoming draft prospects.

Zimmer on Wednesday made his rounds with a number of media outlets and finished with a podium session during which he fielded a variety of questions regarding current Vikings players, offseason goals and thoughts moving forward.

Here are five topics covered by Zimmer:

1. Vikings draft philosophy

The Vikings have made it clear that strengthening the offensive line is a focal point of the offseason.

Zimmer emphasized, however, that it's important to be smart about the team's draft philosophy while keeping their eyes on areas of need. He reminded the media that the Vikings are always evaluating all positions.

"We have been good on defense the last two years, but we don't ever want to slight that side of the ball," Zimmer said. "We want to make sure that continues to be a strength for us and then add to some other sides."

"So when we get down to it, we're going to try to figure out the best player we can pick, wherever it is," Zimmer continued. "Now obviously we're going to look very hard at the offensive line there, we're going to look at free agency and all these places to fill holes, but I just want to be extremely careful that we don't rob Peter to pay Paul."

2. Adrian testing free agency waters

One of the things that Zimmer and the Vikings organization pride themselves on is bring "as fair as we possibly can" to the players.

The Vikings announced Tuesday that they will not exercise the 2017 option on Adrian Peterson's contract, and Zimmer said that Peterson testing the waters of free agency can be advantageous for both parties.

"We allow these guys to go out and test the market, let them find out what their worth is, and then try to figure out the situation, how it can be beneficial to both sides," Zimmer said. "Adrian's a guy that has not ever been a free agent, so I think this is a good chance for him to go out and test the market and see what his value is."

Added Zimmer: "It really gives the players the opportunity to feel good about themselves, and I think it's good for us organizationally and the players see that we're going to take care of them, as well."

3. Prototype of 4-3 edge rushers

All positions have a specific prototype, but according to Zimmer, not all players at a certain position need to meet that prototype.

When talking specifically about defensive ends in the 4-3 scheme, Zimmer used Everson Griffen as an example. Griffen, at 6-foot-3, may not be quite as tall as some edge rushers, but he's extremely effective in his role.

"Everson is … strong, physical, great acceleration to get off the ball," Zimmer said. "Our defensive line coach [Andre Patterson] has done a great job of coaching him and teaching him.

"I don't think there's any one, I mean, there are a lot of great guys in the league that are great rushers that are 6-2 ½, 260 [pounds]," Zimmer added. "Yeah, there's a lot of things that these guys have to learn coming in."

4. Communication with Greenway

Coming off his 11th NFL season in purple and gold, linebacker Riley Reiff has yet to announce whether or not he plans to return to the field in 2017. Zimmer said he's been in contact with Greenway and expects a decision to be made before the free agency period begins.

According to Zimmer, Greenway has been one of the players that he can rely on for a variety of things. Zimmer said that a handful of **players this offseason have spoken with him** about ways he can improve as a coach, and it's a level of communication he respects and appreciations.

"When Chad came in, I asked him, 'What can I do better? Some of these situations came up – how could I have handled it better?' " Zimmer said. "So, that's one area that a guy like him can really help. But also carrying my message into the locker room, making sure guys are being accountable to one another, I think that's a big thing of what goes on with a football team – accountability to one another."

5. Laquon and Mackensie in year 2

The Vikings 2016 rookie class did not have a significant impact during their NFL debut season, but General Manager Rick Spielman said recently that he feels positive about the **direction of their development**.

Zimmer on Thursday echoed Spielman's sentiments about first- and second-round draft picks Laquon Treadwell and Mackensie Alexander.

Zimmer explained that there are three positions he considers to be the most difficult in making the jump from college to the pros: cornerback, offensive line and quarterback.

"Mackensie Alexander, he's a corner, he's a very, very talented guy, but the rules in the NFL are so different than in college football," Zimmer said before explaining that Alexander missed a significant chunk of the offseason workouts due to injury.

"Now he's catching up and trying to learn the rules of bump-and-run. So consequently, he gets a lot of penalties and goes from there," Zimmer said. "One of the things we're trying to do is really look at the player development side of things and how we … can help develop these players quicker."

Zimmer added the following of Treadwell, whom the Vikings selected 23rd overall last year:

"He's an extremely conscientious kid that works really hard. He has been nagged a little bit with this ankle, so he's just a guy that has to get better. I feel good about Laquon."