Vikings limit tryouts at rookie minicamp, focus on passing game instead

Defensive backs like safety Lewis Cine, the Vikings’ first-round draft pick, were a point of emphasis at the team’s rookie minicamp Friday.The Vikings put just 42 players on the field for the first day of coach Kevin O'Connell's initial rookie minicamp in Minnesota, keeping their tryout numbers low and the intensity of their on-field work controlled.

The goal, O'Connell said, was to treat the initial session like a "pseudo passing camp," emphasizing skill players and defensive backs instead of trying to draw meaningful conclusions about linemen who were practicing without pads.

Of the 17 players the Vikings brought in for tryouts, just four were offensive or defensive linemen, and only two…