On the first day of training camp last July, Minnesota Vikings CB Mekhi Blackmon hurt his knee and had to miss the rest of the season. It’s been almost a year, and the former USC Trojans defensive back is making good progress and is taking part in OTAs.
The Minnesota Vikings had high hopes for safety Mekhi Blackmon going into his second season after a strong first year in the NFL.
But the Vikings’ first practice of training camp last July, when the former USC Trojans defensive back tore his ACL, all the hope was lost. Blackmon went back to the field last week when Minnesota started their OTAs, which are short for “organizational team activities.”
This summer, the Vikings have been careful with the third-year cornerback by only letting him do individual drills. But Blackmon is just happy to be back.
“I liked them all season long and just watched them play.” But being out here with the guys is a blessing, Blackmon said. “The way the season went really helped me get through it.”
Blackmon played for four years at Colorado before moving to USC for his last year of eligibility in 2022. He had 66 tackles, 17 passes defended, three interceptions, and a forced fumble in his only season with the Trojans. These stats won him First Team All-Pac-12 and Third Team AP All-American honors.
Blackmon was picked by the Vikings with the 102nd pick in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft. As a rookie, he played in 15 games and started three of them. He made 41 stops, three of them for loss, blocked eight passes, intercepted one, and recovered a fumble.
After Blackmon got hurt, the Vikings decided not to re-sign senior Stephon Gilmore, who they had signed in August. There were some signings in Minnesota. They got cornerback Isaiah Rodgers from the Philadelphia Eagles and cornerback Jeff Okudah from the Houston Texans. Okudah was the third overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft and is now on his fourth team.
In 2024, second-year cornerback Dwight McGlothern wasn’t picked in the draft, but he made the original 53-man roster and played in five games.
“Twitter is full of interesting things for me.” You all know. Many people are scared about our room. “I think our room is really nice,” Blackmon said.
After a week off, the Vikings will practice again on Thursday, May 5. They then have to go to minicamp from June 10–12 and then have one more week of OTAs from June 16–18. The actual start date for training camp has not been set, but it will likely happen in late July.
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