The Minnesota Vikings surprised a lot of people on Tuesday by trading for unheralded Miami Dolphins wide receiver Greg Camarillo – including Greg Camarillo.
“And bam, I’m in Minnesota,” Camarillo said on Thursday, shortly after completing his first practice with the Vikings.
“Twenty-four hours later, I’m living in a new city.”
The 28-year-old receiver said he had “no idea” the Dolphins were open to trading him until he found out on Wednesday he’d been shipped north for cornerback Benny Sapp.
While it was surprising that Camarillo was acquired, Vikings coach Brad Childress says there should be no surprises about the receiver’s hands.
“He’s done both,” Vikings coach Brad Childress said. “He’s played outside. He’s played in the slot. We’ll have to start him slowly — you can’t put everything on his plate right away. But we’d like for all our guys to be able to interchange.”
If there’s one thing Camarillo (6-foot-1, 190 pounds) is known for, it’s his hands, which Childress described as “A-plus.”
Camarillo seems to agree with that assessment, though it is more out of necessity than anything else.
“I’ve always felt that if the quarterback puts it near me, I’m going to grab it,” Camarillo said. “That’s the only way to build confidence with the quarterback — if he throws you the ball, you make (the catch). If you drop one here, you drop one here, the quarterback’s not going to look for you all the time. You come down with the ball, he’ll build confidence and build that chemistry and help the offense move.”