Nobody in the Twin Cities was more excited than Vikings right tackle Brian O’Neill when news broke last week about a blockbuster trade between the Timberwolves and New York Knicks. As many Timberwolves fans lamented on social media the loss of star big man Karl-Anthony Towns, O’Neill found himself more excited about being reunited with an old friend. More than a decade ago, O’Neill played high school basketball with a lethal shooting guard named Donte DiVincenzo. They won a state championship together at Salesianum School in Wilmington, Delaware, and have kept up with each other as both have gone on to reach the highest level of their respective sports. “We’ve stayed pretty close,” O’Neill said. “We’re some of the only people from back home that understand each other’s world. We know what it’s like going through the ups and downs of a career. It’s been cool to have that.” So what was O’Neill thinking when he found out DiVincenzo would be coming to Minnesota? “I was fired up,” O’Neill said. “He’s going to be great for them. The fans are going to love him. He plays his (expletive) off every time he goes out there.” Asked for a scouting report from when they were teammates, O’Neill reiterated what many people have come to learn about DiVincenzo. “There are times when he gets a hot hand and it can get pretty lethal pretty quickly,” O’Neill said. “If he’s in the zone and has it going I learned to get out of the way and let him do his thing because he’s pretty hard to stop.” What O’Neill failed to acknowledge was that he was pretty good player himself. He dominated down low as a senior, averaging 14.6 points and 8.0 rebounds. Let’s just say he wasn’t always deferring to DiVincenzo on the court. “I was a little more selfish back then,” O’Neill said with a laugh. “I wanted the rock.” As he’s established himself among the best in the NFL at his position, O’Neill has enjoyed watching DiVincenzo carve out a niche for himself in the NBA as a key role player. “He’s progressively gotten better throughout his career,” O’Neill said. “That doesn’t happen without working hard. He’s continued to grow and grow and grow as a player, and that’s a testament to the work he puts in. I respect him for that.” Though he’s only seen him play in person a couple of times, it’s safe to assume O’Neill will be seeing much more of DiVincenzo now. “It’s been fun,” O’Neill said. “There have been some serious group chats going with the boys back home.” Darnold participates in full After getting twisted up and appearing to reaggravate a knee injury late in Sunday’s win over the Green Bay Packers, quarterback Sam Darnold was a full participant for the Vikings on Wednesday afternoon at TCO Performance. Asked about his knee injury during his weekly chat with reporters, Darnold replied, “It feels really good.” That’s good news considering how well Darnold has been playing for the Vikings throughout the 4-0 start. He will face his the New York Jets — the team that drafted him third overall in 2018 — on Sunday afternoon at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. The only player who did not participate for the Vikings was cornerback Akayleb Evans (illness), while receiver Brandon Powell (chest), tight end Josh Oliver (wrist), and linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. (ankle) were limited participants. Risner still healing As he slowly works his way back to 100%, right guard Dalton Risner still isn’t ready for live action. As a result, the Vikings won’t open Risner’s practice window quite yet, giving him more time to recover from a back injury that landed him on injured reserve. It will be interesting to see how the Vikings proceed with Risner whenever he’s available. It’s unlikely that left guard Blake Brandel would be in danger of losing his spot on the starting offensive line. As for right guard Ed Ingram, his struggles have been well-documented, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see Risner compete with him for playing time.