It’s hard to believe the Vikings  play a preseason game against the Las Vegas Raiders on Saturday at U.S. Bank Stadium.

That will give the coaching staff perhaps its best chance yet to evaluate where some of the position battles stand.

In the meantime, the Vikings will continue to work their way through training camp at TCO Performance Center, knowing there is still a lot of room for improvement in all phases.

Here are some players who have stood out so far:

Sam Darnold

Though there have been some ups and downs for veteran quarterback Sam Darnold, he has definitely found his stride as of late. He has followed multiple solid efforts in camp with another impressive effort. Maybe the most promising thing is that Darnold is clearly building chemistry with star receiver Justin Jefferson. The two of them have produced a number of highlights in training camp to this point. No doubt the Vikings hope that continues moving forward.

J.J. McCarthy

After focusing on his fundamentals in the spring, rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy has been much improved in the summer. He looks confident under center in training camp and has already proven to have a good grasp of the offense. There have been way more good practices than bad ones for McCarthy, which is a good sign for the Vikings as he continues to learn the ropes of the position. The arm talent isn’t a question as he has shown he can sling it with the best of them. The next step is developing the touch needed to succeed at the highest level.

Jalen Nailor

There is still a legitimate competition for the receiver spot alongside Jefferson and Jordan Addison. That said, speedy receiver Jalen Nailor might be the fastest receiver the Vikings have, and he appears to be running ahead of the pack midway through training camp. He’s slowly started to separate himself by making big plays on a daily basis. The biggest challenge for Nailor throughout his career has been staying healthy. If he can finally do that, he could end up playing a pivotal role on offense.

Theo Jackson

If anybody has attended a practice at training camp, they have more than likely noticed safety Theo Jackson. He has been extremely hard to miss as he seems to make an interception whenever he’s targeted. Though that might be a bit of hyperbole, Jackson has clearly established himself as a rotational player who could make a big impact on defense. The rise of Jackson is good news for the Vikings and likely bad news for young safety Lewis Cine and his chances of making the team.

Will Reichard

There wasn’t much of a kicking competition in training camp as the Vikings have handed the keys to rookie kicker Will Reichard. After surprisingly missing a pair of field-goal attempts last week, Reichard was very impressive over the weekend, going 6 for 6 on field-goal attempts. Now he needs to prove he can do it in live action.

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