Though he has spent countless hours watching film and studying the playbook so he can think the position at a high level, after missing all of last season while he recovered from a torn meniscus, McCarthy has also worked tirelessly on his mechanics so he can actually play the position at a high level.

It was a good day for the Vikings' depth tight ends. Ben Yurosek had one of the highlights of the practice with a leaping touchdown catch from Howell in red zone 7s, but Bryson Nesbit and Giovanni Ricci made some plays as well. With Gavin Bartholomew on the PUP list, those first three guys are competing for the TE3 role, as things stand.

The Minnesota Vikings defense has reportedly gotten the upper hand on the second-year quarterback in recent training camp practices.