With all the position battles the Minnesota Vikings have, it may be easy to overlook what's happening at punter. Veteran Johnny Hekker has been duking it out with rookie UDFA Bret Thorson throughout camp, and there is reason to believe the competition is even tighter than initially believed.
The reps were split throughout the three preseason games. Hekker punted nine times, netting 40.0 yards per punt. Thorson netted 41.5 yards per punt, with each player pinning opponents inside their own 20-yard line five times.
After Friday night's loss to the Denver Broncos, Kevin O'Connell noted that holding for field goals will factor into the punter decision. But he has been pleased with both punters throughout the process.
"It's a body of work," O'Connell
told reporters. "Obviously, the games are important, but we've got a bunch of kicks logged [throughout training camp], and we'll take a look at it, as well as the role of holding."
Initially, it felt as if Hekker would win because of his experience both as a punter and as a holder for field goals. Thorson, who went to Georgia in college, didn't hold, as head coach Kirby Smart traditionally used quarterbacks for that role.
But holding hasn't been an issue for Thorson. Will Reichard hit all his field goals throughout the preseason, so no spectacular mistake from either Thorson or Hekker presented itself. Nor were there reports of issues with the holds throughout training camp.
This competition could go either way, but Thorson has the advantage of upside and hasn't provided any proof he can't handle holding duties.
This article originally appeared on Vikings Wire: Vikings head coach comments on punting battle after preseason finale
