JOTTINGS

• ESPN said if the 2018 Vikings are going to exceed last season's results, there's no doubt that Kirk Cousins will have to be the team MVP.

• Adrian Peterson told NFL.com on Friday that he is 100 percent healthy and he definitely wants to play in 2018. The former Vikings running back is 33 years old and ran for 529 yards last season in 10 games with New Orleans and Arizona.

• Pro Football Focus said Dalvin Cook is primed for a breakout season in his second year. "He ranked eighth in yards after contact per attempt (2.6) and tied for second in total forced missed tackles (18) among the 27 running backs with at least 50 touches in Weeks 1-4 [in 2017]."

• Gophers men's basketball coach Richard Pitino writing in his blog: "Why am I so confident that this team can be special? Our locker room is full of winners. Dupree [McBrayer], Jordan [Murphy], Amir [Cof­fey], Eric [Curry], Michael [Hurt] and Brady [Rudrud] were all part of a terrific team."

• Cole Kramer, the Eden Prairie quarterback and 2019 Gophers commit ranked by recruiting experts as one of the best QB prospects to come out of Minnesota in some time, worked out at Nike's Opening Regionals in Canton, Ohio.

• Baseball America released its top 500 draft prospects this past week, and ranked No. 30 was Kentucky junior Sean Hjelle, a 6-11 righthander from Mahtomedi High School. Gophers junior shortstop Terrin Vavra was No. 429. The magazine also projected the Twins to draft Mississippi lefthander Ryan Rolison with the No. 20 pick on June 4.

• The San Diego Padres appear to have made the right decision by signing All-Star reliever Brad Hand to a three-year, $19.7 million contract in the offseason. The lefthander from Chaska entered Saturday with 15 saves, tied for third most in MLB. He was 1-3 with a 2.08 ERA, and had struck out 39 in 26 innings.