EAGAN, Minn. — Nate Meadors is relying on some FBI help in his first professional training camp.
No, not the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
As Meadors navigates camp with the Vikings, the cornerback is relying on his football intelligence to grasp Vikings Head Coach Mike Zimmer's defense.
"It's a lot of stuff," Meadors said during a recent break in between walk-through and practice. "I feel like I have pretty good FBI [football intelligence], so I'm able to understand it.
"I understand most of what we have already installed, so it's just about applying it to the field now," Meadors added.
The 22-year-old is one of 16 defensive backs currently on Minnesota's roster, and the former UCLA starter said he has relied on almost all of them for tips and advice.
"Everybody here is pretty cool," Meadors said. "They all understand and have been through it, so they all help you out. I can't really point out a single guy."
Still, Meadors said his biggest focus these days is translating his lessons in the classroom to the practice field.
"It's been a learning experience with just a new level of football, just trying to slow the game down and understand the playbook fully," Meadors said. "It's being going good so far, I'm just taking it day-by-day and trying to stay consistent."
And he said it helps to have a coach like Zimmer always watching nearby, even if there's some criticism at times.
"He's very detailed," Meadors said. "But that's big for us though, because the little misalignments and false steps are the difference between a receiver catching the ball and you making a play. I think he's very detailed and very beneficial for us."
Meadors appeared in 42 games at UCLA, recording 30 starts with 149 career tackles and 22 total pass breakups in college.
Here are three other topics that Meadors covered with Vikings.com:
1. You are a Bruin, do you have a bond with the fellow UCLA guys here?
"Yeah, it's a connection we all have. EK [Eric Kendricks] and AB [Anthony Barr], they look out for me. If I need anything, I just holler at them. When I first got here, I asked them what it was like here and stuff like that. They said as long as I come in and work with the right mindset, anything is possible."
2. You have four brothers … Dorian, Daylen, Daron and Dash … why no 'D' name for you?
"Man, I'm the oldest so I'm a little different," Meadors said with a laugh. "They all got the 'Ds,' but there's no issues. It's interesting, but I don't mind it. I'm much older than them, so I'm cool with it."
3. You majored in sociology in college and want to mentor youth after football, why is that important to you?
"Just coming from the city of San Bernardino where I'm from [in California], not a lot of kids get to see what I'm able to do. Me going back and providing that example would be super beneficial for a lot of kids."
