MANKATO -- Ray Small is listed as being 5-foot-11 on the Vikings roster, which might be generous. But the rookie free agent from Ohio State towered above several of his teammates on Wednesday morning during one play in practice.

Third-string quarterback Joe Webb threw a Hail Mary pass into the corner of the end zone in team drills that Small came down with as he was surrounded by five defenders. "Every time I go out there I try to prove myself and that's what it's about," Small said afterward.

Asked about the technique of out-jumping bigger players, Small said: "It's all about judgement. No matter how big you are or how tall you are it's whoever can judge the ball the best."

Small finished his career at Ohio State with 61 receptions for 659 yards and three touchdowns. What also caught the Vikings' eye was the fact Small averaged 21.0 yards on punt returns and ranked in the NCAA's top-10 in punt return average as a junior, scoring on an 80-yard return against Ohio.

The Vikings punt return job appears to be wide open and Small knows he has a chance to stick on the 53-man roster because of that. "We've got a lot of great receivers, and not to say that I'm not a great receiver myself, but I kind of came in and specialized on punt or special teams in general," he said.

While Small's size probably played a role in him not being drafted, his past didn't help him either. He was suspended in 2008 by Ohio State coach Jim Tressel for violations of team rules. Then last season he was suspended by Tressel for the Rose Bowl for an undisclosed violation of team rules.

Other notes from a busy Wednesday morning practice that was spent in shells and shorts.

  • It sounds as if the Vikings plan for Saturday night's preseason game at St. Louis will be to play Tarvaris Jackson at quarterback for a couple of series with the first team and then have Sage Rosenfels take over for much of the game. The Vikings would like Webb to handle the fourth quarter.
  • Practice began in a morning fog -- and no we don't mean anyone was hung over -- that provided a nice cloud cover and kept it comfortable. However, rain during the night made the fields slippery and a few players lost their footing at times.
  • Wednesday was the start of Ramadan -- the Islamic month of pray and fasting that lasts for 30 days -- and that means safety Husain Abdullah can't drink or eat during daylight hours. That isn't easy considering how the amount of fluids players are encouraged to consume during a practice. "It depends," Abdullah said when asked how tough it is to fast while playing football. "On a day like this [with favorable weather], it's great. What did we have one day, 96 degrees, super humidity, that one would be tough. For starters, this is a great day today." Abdullah said he can put water in his mouth if it gets dry but he makes sure not to swallow it.
  • Wide receiver Taye Biddle ended practice by making a circus catch of a pass from Rosenfels down the left sideline. With cornerback DeAndre Wright in coverage, Biddle went up for the Rosenfels pass and tipped it in the air. He kept his composure, found the ball again and hauled it in to the delight of the fans.
  • Rosenfels completed a 40-yard pass down the right side to Logan Payne on a play in which Payne showed patience by stopping his route a bit and then beating cornerback Marcus Sherels to make the catch.
  • Jackson aired out a 50-yarder down the right side in 11-on-11 for Bernard Berrian but it was slightly underthrown -- in part because of a wind that also affected Rosenfels' pass -- and cornerback Chris Cook broke it up.
  • Rookie running back Toby Gerhart continued to take a bit of "welcome to the NFL" abuse. Gerhart took a handoff in 11-on-11 and as the play ended he was given a "nudge" by defensive tackle Letroy Guion that sent Gerhart to the ground. That would have been fine if the Vikings were in pads and tackling Wednesday but that was not the case.
  • The learning process for Webb continues. He nearly had a pass picked off by safety Colt Anderson but that wasn't his worst part of the day. The Vikings did a group installation with the two-minute drill and it was clear Webb had to think through his every move. Coach Brad Childress at one point spent time in the huddle giving instructions.
  • Tight end Visanthe Shiancoe, who had sat out practice since Saturday night because of a strain of some sort, returned to work in individual drills but did not take part in other sessions. Tight end Jim Kleinsasser and right guard Anthony Herrera also were back and did work in each segment.
  • Sitting out Wednesday's practice: Wide receivers Percy Harvin (migraines) and Sidney Rice (hip), cornerback Cedric Griffin (knee), linebacker J Leman (toe) and center John Sullivan (calf).
  • Finally, congratulations to Vikings long snapper Cullen Loeffler and his wife, Jardin, on the birth of their son, William Senate, this week. Senate, as he will be known, is 8 pounds and 22 inches long. The Loeffler's also have a daughter, Landyn.