Top 5 moments from the first quarter of the Vikings’ 2018 season

4. Hughes takes it to the house in his debut

As the time was approaching for the Vikings to make their first-round pick in last April’s NFL Draft, it seemed like they were going to be able to add some more talent to their offensive line. At least that is what most expected them to do.

But instead of adding another blocker with their first-round selection, Minnesota opted to use their pick on UCF cornerback Mike Hughes. Looking back on the selection, it actually shouldn’t have been too surprising that a team coached by Mike Zimmer added more depth to their defensive backfield.

During the offseason, Hughes didn’t take much time before he was impressing Zimmer and his veteran teammates out on the practice field.

Since he was still a rookie though, not many felt that the young corner would get too much playing time once the regular season came around. But thanks to an injury to Mackensie Alexander and Terence Newman retiring, Hughes ended up playing in 79 percent of the snaps for the Vikings’ defense in Week 1 against the San Francisco 49ers.

He made a few mistakes where his inexperience showed up. But he also made a play that got Minnesota fans off their feet inside U.S. Bank Stadium.

With Vikings up 10-3 over the 49ers in the third quarter, San Francisco quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo took the snap and quickly fired a pass to his right in order to avoid a swarm of Minnesota pass rushers. Garoppolo was able to avoid a sack with his quick throw, but the ball definitely didn’t end up landing where he would have liked.

Instead, Hughes got his hands on the pass and took it 28 yards the other way for a Vikings touchdown. Thanks in part to the big play from their 2018 first-round pick, Minnesota was able to start the season on the right track with a victory over the 49ers.