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As the Minnesota Vikings approached training camp, a new coaching staff and a quarterback competition involving a first-round draft pick got nearly all of the attention. After five days of camp that hasn't really changed too much. The coaches and the quarterbacks are still getting the bulk of the attention. A fairly unknown player has been pulling some attention his way. Second-year receiver Adam Thielen played his college football on the very same field that he now practices on as a member of the Minnesota Vikings. The former Minnesota State-Mankato receiver has been hard to miss. He was shining in the OTAs and Mini-camps and he's continued shining through the early days of training camp. Rarely does a practice go by that Thielen doesn't have a splashy play or two, or more. The team is loving it and so are the Mankato locals that saw this kid star in college. This is Thielen's second training camp with the Vikings and he's making the most of it.

As a senior in 2012, Adam Thielen helped lead the Division II Mankato St. Mavericks to a 13-1 record and a national semifinal berth. He finished his college career as the school's second-ranked receiver and third-ranked punt returner. He went undrafted in the 2012 NFL Draft. Unsigned too. All that he earned was a rookie tryout with the local NFL team. The Vikings liked what they saw and invited him to training camp at a familiar place. He made it to the last round of cuts. He was released and then signed to the Vikings practice squad for the 2013 season. He made the most of his time with the team and this offseason. He's worked hard to improve his game and it's definitely shown. General Manager Rick Spielman and offensive coordinator Norv Turner have identified Thielen as the most improved player since the end of 2013. He's also received praise from new head coach Mike Zimmer.

"Adam has been doing a great job; he really has," Zimmer said. "He has improved a lot in his pass cathcing; he's improved a lot in his route running. Adam is a great kid too. I was teasing him about being here at home, I said, 'You're like the superstar around here.'"

Thielen has nice size at 6'3" and just over 200 lbs. He ran a 4.46 at his college prod day, so he has decent speed. Entering training camp, after a nice showing at offseason workouts, Theilen was thought to be in competition with Rodney Smith and undrafted rookies Kain Colter and Erik Lora for the last receiver spot or two on the roster. Most of those following the team have generally assumed that the top four Vikings receivers looked like this:

Greg Jennings
Cordarrelle Patterson
Jarius Wright
Jerome Simpson

It's still real early in camp but Thielen has played his way into the discussion with those receivers. The other receivers are fighting for a roster spot. Adam Thielen may already have one.