Danielle Hunter's absence from the Vikings again creates an opening for D.J. Wonnum

Danielle Hunter's absence from Vikings practices this spring opened a lane for D.J. Wonnum.

Wonnum took first-team reps throughout Organized Team Activities and mandatory minicamp, aligned across from edge rusher Marcus Davenport, giving coaches a picture of what the defensive front would currently be if Hunter is traded amid a contract dispute. Wonnum has made 17 starts over three years with the Vikings, most of them when Hunter was sidelined in 2020 and 2021.

Hunter officially held out of the Vikings' two mandatory practices this week. Wonnum, the 2020 fourth-round pick, enters a contract season looking to take advantage of any opportunities he can earn.

"It just showed me that my coaches or the front office — they believe, and I believe in myself," said Wonnum, who has 15 sacks in three seasons. "Not something I'm foreign to. I've done it before. Just getting better at [being a starter], and just making that year four leap."

Wonnum was given most, if not all, first-team reps during five spring practices open to reporters. With a third different playbook in as many years, Wonnum said coordinator Brian Flores' style is the most similar to what he played in college.

"It's so different because it's so aggressive," Wonnum said. "[Flores] loves to blitz. I did that in [Will] Muschamp's defense at South Carolina, so I'm used to being aggressive on defense."

Edge rushers Patrick Jones II and rookie Andre Carter II worked with the second-team defense. The Vikings roster also includes edge rushers Luiji Vilain, Benton Whitley and Curtis Weaver.

Davenport, the newcomer who inked a one-year deal in March, has been the veteran in Hunter's absence. Outside of Hunter and Davenport, only Wonnum and Jones (4 sacks) have produced in the NFL. But Davenport, who left the New Orleans Saints after five seasons, said his young teammates' talent has been "reaffirming."

"Looking at the outside linebacker room, and I'm like, 'I got competition,'" Davenport said. "Even the young guys, we got a really good group."

Cornerback Mekhi Blackmon, the third-round pick out of USC, received a noticeable share of first-team reps this spring as an outside and slot cornerback. Blackmon appears in the mix for a role on the outside; the Vikings have openings for a No. 2 corner in the base defense and No. 3 outside corner when starter Byron Murphy Jr. moves into the slot on passing downs.

During Wednesday's practice, Blackmon and Akayleb Evans rotated series with the first-team defense. Evans dropped a near interception off quarterback Kirk Cousins on a deep ball down the sideline while covering receiver K.J. Osborn.

"We feel like we have a strong group of guys competing to be in that first group," head coach Kevin O'Connell said. "The young guys are really coming along, not just Mekhi and some of the guys from this year's rookie class, but Andrew Booth and Akayleb are having good springs. And then we bring in Joejuan [Williams] and a couple of other guys there that allow you to truly see what it looks like."

Receiver Garett Maag, a former St. Croix Lutheran Academy (St. Paul) and University of North Dakota standout, grew up rooting for the Vikings. While pursuing his NFL dreams, he trained with receiver Adam Thielen and fullback C.J. Ham at a local gym. Not long after, the Vikings came calling after tight end Ben Ellefson's retirement opened a roster spot.

"Dreamed about this as a kid, my hometown team," said Maag, who signed this month. "Everyone was ecstatic, it was surreal — it is surreal."