Minnesota Vikings training camp: Day 8 stock report

Jayron Kearse continued to impress, with solid coverage all day and an interception to cap the night off. The rookie seems to be picking up the system very smoothly, and his physical tools are undeniable. At 6’4″, Kearse has the movement skills of a much smaller player and seems to have great instincts for the game. Tonight, Kearse picked off a pass that went off of Terrell Sinkfield’s hands, making another play in a series of impressive plays this week. With remarkable upside and already surprisingly polished play, I would bet on Kearse to make the team over players like Antone Exum and Michael Griffin.

Xavier Rhodes had a bit of a bounce-back practice today after a rough first week of camp. While Rhodes was by no means perfect and allowed a deep completion to Adam Thielen midway through practice, he showed marked improvement from earlier in the week. Rhodes performed excellently in red zone work, intercepting Teddy once (on a play that didn’t count due to an offsides penalty) and adding a couple nice pass break-ups. Rhodes nearly added another interception as he won a jump-ball against Adam Thielen on a fade, but he couldn’t quite hang onto the ball. Hopefully, Rhodes’ tenacious play tonight will help him build his confidence back.

Laquon Treadwell had probably his strongest practice of the week, catching a couple of nice passes in a row along the left sideline. On one, Treadwell adjusted nicely for a nice high-point catch in between Antone Exum and Jabari Price, picking up a big chunk of yards on a dart from Teddy. Treadwell also added a long catch later in the night on what appeared to be a miscommunication in the defense, as he was left wide open down the middle of the field. The day was definitely something for the young receiver to build on, as he showed flashes of the crafty and physical player he could become.

Next: Players who lowered their stock