He added there's "a whole bunch of guys competing" with Felton and Price.
"And that's where special teams comes into play, where clearly Tai and Myles have defined roles there," O'Connell noted. "But what else and how else can we make this competitive? We've got some young guys we're excited about, and we'll let those guys compete and battle, go get a ton of work … in the preseason games. It's about preparing yourself right now to attack that."
Below are four additional topics covered by O'Connell ahead of next week's mandatory minicamp.
1. A 'great spring' for Darrisaw
After suffering a significant knee injury Week 8 of the 2024 season and navigating an up-and-down recovery journey throughout last season, Christian Darrisaw has had a "great spring" according to O'Connell.
He said the left tackle has been participating "pretty much in totality."
"We're being smart with him, but at the same time, we're making sure he's part of this collective o-line group elevation that's happening," O'Connell said. "That group has a high standard for themselves. Christian has a very high standard for himself, and that's one of the reasons we're so excited to have him back and feeling healthy and feeling good."
O'Connell emphasized keeping Darrisaw, who turned 27 Tuesday, on a positive track all the way up to the season. The coaching staff will continue leaning on Vikings Vice President of Player Health & Performance Tyler Williams and staff to provide guidance on that track.
"That's why Tyler's so impactful and important," O'Connell said, "Because we shape all of their individual plans with making sure it's all in alignment [working toward] that home opener against Green Bay."