When Minnesota Vikings coach Mike Zimmer canceled the last session of minicamp as a reward for the team’s offseason work, most players were surprised and delighted by the early start on summer vacation.

Moritz Boehringer wasn’t so sure.

“I wanted to practice,” Boehringer said, smiling wryly, “because it’s always good to get some more reps.”

Nobody on the 90-man roster needs more training than Boehringer, the rookie wide receiver from Germany who became the first draft pick in the history of the NFL to come directly from a country outside the United States.

His deficiencies haven’t been for a lack of dedication, though. This is simply the situation he’s in, having discovered the sport about five years ago through YouTube videos of Vikings running back Adrian Peterson. He has played competitively for merely three seasons at a level nowhere near as sophisticated or intense as the league is entering.

“He’s starting from way, way, way behind,” offensive coordinator Norv Turner said.

For the Schwabisch Hall Unicorns in 2015, Boehringer had 16 touchdown receptions and an average of 20.9 yards per catch in 21 games on his way to the German Football League’s rookie of the year award. The Unicorns only ran 70 or 80 plays out of five or six formations, paling in comparison to the complexity of Turner’s playbook with the Vikings.

Naturally, Boehringer’s helmet has been spinning this spring in his attempt to grasp the route concepts, blocking responsibilities and advanced footwork technique required to excel at his highly skilled position.