There was a transcript up on the Minnesota Vikings official site of head coach Mike Zimmer's thoughts after the first day of rookie minicamp. He was asked a couple of questions about former UConn defensive tackle Shamar Stephen, a seventh-round pick of the team.

Q: What do you see from Shamar Stephen?
 A: Yeah he’s been out here a couple of days and he’s got some good power with him. I think he’s going to be a bigger guy once he gets a little more into the weight program, but he’s got great quickness, great quick hands. He’s got a chance down the road too.

Q: He’s already at 300, do you see a weight you want him at?
 A: Well I think he can develop a little more in his upper body. I haven’t talked to the strength coaches about weights and where we want them to be at and where they can get to at this point. We’ll have that conversation probably in the next two weeks.

FORMER UCONN DB SIGNED BY JAGUARS
Safety Jerome Junior, who spent his first three collegiate seasons at UConn before finishing up at Winston-Salem State, was signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars after earning a tryout at the recently-completed rookie minicamp.

Junior had 167 tackles in 37 games at UConn from 2009-11. He had six career interceptions as a Husky including a team-leading four during the 2010 season.

Junior and running back Beau Blankenship were two players who attended training camp on a tryout basis signed by the team. There were 24 others, including former UConn defensive end Tim Willman, who had tryouts with the Jaguars but left without being signed.