5 most surprising things from the Vikings 2021 training camp so far

How good Hunter has looked

The Vikings were extremely happy to get Danielle Hunter back on the field after he missed the entire 2020 season with a neck injury. Upon his return, many questioned how Hunter would look.

Would he have the same burst and explosion that he has shown throughout his career? Would he play with the same power and strength? Would the Vikings ease him along slowly and even keep him working on the sidelines with trainers? Those questions have been answered and Hunter looks better than ever.

The guy has been absolutely dominant. He’s blowing by would-be blockers and would he have clobbered Kirk Cousins numerous times had the quarterback not been wearing the red jersey.

Hunter has received praise from right tackle Brian O’Neill who asked the defensive end about a pass-rushing move he put on him. Hunter’s response was very telling. He said he didn’t know, he just did it. The fact that he’s playing without thinking and relying on his natural abilities is huge.

Even Mike Zimmer heaped praise on Hunter, and that is a rare thing coming from the usually reserved head coach.

Hunter looks better than anyone could’ve imagined so far in camp, and he could very well be in store for his biggest season yet, and that’s a surprising thing to say after coming off such a serious injury.