Minnesota Vikings: Danielle Hunter gets 1st team reps

The scouting report on Danielle Hunter was pretty straight-forward: gifted athlete, long and explosive and very raw. The raw part was why Hunter was still there to be taken when the Minnesota Vikings drafted in the 3rd round.

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But when the Vikings actually got their hands on Hunter, they discovered maybe he wasn’t as unpolished as the reports indicated.

Word out of training camp is that Danielle Hunter is farther along in his development than coaches expected.

The Hunter steam is strong enough that even the national media is taking note.

Vikings have high hopes for rookie DE Danielle Hunter. Mike Zimmer said former Cowboys DE Greg Ellis, working in camp, likes him a lot.
— Pete Prisco (@PriscoCBS) July 30, 2015

Hunter has been impressive enough against 2nd teamers that coaches gave him a brief look Thursday vs. the 1st team at LDE.

Does his mean Danielle Hunter is suddenly a threat to take snaps away from Brian Robison? I wouldn’t count on it.

Part of what’s going on here is the coaching staff wanting to see Hunter against better competition to gauge where he is truly at in his development. And part of it I’m sure is wanting to push Scott Crichton who is expected to be the main guy rotating in at LDE.

But even if Hunter isn’t exactly ready to become a main performer, you have to be encouraged by the positive reviews and what they mean for the future.

It’s possible the Vikings have found themselves a gem of a defensive end.

Next: Mike Zimmer still questioning Patterson

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