Vikings WR Jalen Nailor hauls in acrobatic touchdown in training camp

NFL training camps are in full swing, and fans get a glimpse of how their teams could look this fall. One player who turned heads on Saturday in Vikings’ training camp was third year wide receiver Jalen Nailor. He dominated the red zone, making beautiful grabs like this one from JJ McCarthy.

That @b1gfootball connection. @jjmccarthy09 @jalennailor pic.twitter.com/qsK0G3a5KA

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) July 28, 2024

The past two years, Nailor has hauled in 12 total catches for 208 yards and one touchdown. He’s seen action in 21 games thus far, due to spending some time on injured reserve.

In the Vikings 7-on-7 period on Saturday, it turned into the Jalen Nailor show. In a number of minutes, he hauled in a touchdown pass from all three of the Vikings’ top quarterbacks. He made a nice grab on a ball from Sam Darnold. He also hauled in a one-handed catch from Nick Mullens. And his third grab was one of his prettiest catches of the day, jumping up in the back corner of the end zone, getting both feet down for a score from J.J. McCarthy.

More on Jalen Nailor college career with Michigan State

During his college football days with the Michigan State Spartans, Nailor shined in his redshirt junior year. He finished with career highs in receptions (37), receiving yards (695), and touchdown catches (six).

On Oct. 9, 2021, he torched the Rutgers Scarlet Knights’ secondary in record-setting fashion, hauling in five catches for 221 receiving yards and three touchdowns through the air. Nailor’s average of 44.4 yards per catch in that game were the most by a Big Ten Player since 2000. Some mock drafts had Nailor going as a late day three selection in the 2022 NFL Draft.

In 2020, as a redshirt sophomore, Nailor earned third team All-Big Ten honors from Phil Steele after he hauled in 26 catches for 515 yards and four touchdowns. In 2019, he was dealing with an injury that he suffered at the beginning of the year. He only got to play three games, but hauled in 15 catches for 106 yards. As a freshman in 2018, Nailor finished the year with 279 all-purpose yards (138 receiving yards, 128 rushing yards, and 13 punt return yards).

In high school, Nailor played for famed Bishop Gorman High School (Las Vegas, Nevada). He wrapped up his high school career with 108 catches for 1,995 yards and 28 catches. His senior year, Nailor helped guide the Gaels to their ninth consecutive state crown in 2017. He hauled in 41 catches for 807 yards and 12 touchdowns, while also finishing with more than 1,000 all-purpose yards. A dynamic track athlete, he also shattered his own program record in the 100 meters (10.70) and 200 meters (21.57) in winning individual state titles.