90 Minnesota Vikings: Defensive Backs
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For information about Xavier Rhodes, Trae Waynes, Harrison Smith or Andrew Sendejo, click here.
QUARTERBACKS
LINEBACKERS
WIDE RECEIVERS
DEFENSIVE LINE
OFFENSIVE LINE
TIGHT ENDS
Mackensie Alexander
Alexander is a fairly well-known name among Vikings fans, but to recap: He was drafted as an outside corner, but the Vikings moved him to the slot. His parents came here on their own from Haiti, and met in a tomato field in Immokalee, Florida. Mackensie and his brother Mackenro grew up as 2nd generation immigrants with remarkable football talent. Fast forward to the last couple years, where Alexander has struggled in a new position with the Vikings, and rotating snaps with the immortal Terence Newman. Further complicating matters, the Vikings drafted Mike Hughes to compete at starting slot corner.
Alexander’s role is somewhat nebulous, unlike previous years. He’s always competed for his role, but his role is subject to change with the introduction of Mike Hughes. He could move back outside where he played in college and push Trae Waynes, or simply back up an important position. Either way, Alexander’s first few days of camp will tell us a lot about what the Vikings plan to do with the maligned second rounder.
Terence Newman
We know that Terence Newman is playing well beyond his age. He’s also said he’s retiring after this season, making this year somewhat of a victory lap on a storied career. Newman has stayed with Mike Zimmer through much of that career, and may even be a coach under Zimmer when all is said and done. In Minnesota, Newman started as an outside corner, shielding Trae Waynes and allowing him to develop slowly. He then moved to the slot in 2017, allowing Mackensie Alexander the same luxury. Throughout that time, he’s been a mentor and veteran presence in a young, but elite cornerback room.
Nobody really knows what Terence Newman’s 2018 will look like. He could stay at slot corner where he took most of his snaps in 2017. He could move back outside, where he played in 2015 and 2016. In OTAs, he played mostly at safety, which strongly suggests that’s where he’ll play in 2018. Newman could feasibly push Sendejo out of the starting job, or be designated as the most versatile backup on the team. At 39, the age cliff is always looming – while it’d be a surprise, it’s possible that Newman just doesn’t have the ability anymore, and ends up missing the roster and retiring. This is unlikely, but it’s hard to say which option we’ll see. It could be decided by an injury or unforeseen regression, or simply where Newman plays best. Either way, Newman’s role will impact the state of other position groups.
Mike Hughes
It’s hard to believe that Mike Hughes was once a back-to-back North Carolina State champion quarterback. But sure enough, he went from a one-man offense in New Bern, North Carolina to UNC Tar Heel. He played well there until an off-field incident soured his relationship with his environment, and he left the team. He ended up at a community college in Garden City, Kansas, playing JUCO football. As expected, he stood out, and by his senior season he was back in the big leagues at UCF. Here, we learned a lot about Hughes. He immediately grabbed the number one job and played at an all-world level. Despite only one year of this, Hughes went in the 1st round to the Vikings, and joins an elite cornerback room.
Hughes, like Alexander, played outside throughout his college journey. But the Vikings tend to avoid shorter corners on the outside, and it appears Mike Hughes is no exception. He seems to be in direct competition with Mackensie Alexander for the slot job, with Terence Newman waiting to save the day if they both falter. This will be one of the biggest storylines to watch, but Mike Hughes had to learn three different playbooks throughout college. He’s no stranger to learning on the fly. He also excelled as a returner at UCF, and will likely be given the chance to compete there as well.
Holton Hill
Coming from Lamar High School in Houston, Hill was blessed enough to stay close to home and be a Texas Longhorn. But at Texas, a problem gripped Hill and overshadowed what was otherwise a dazzling career. He served a number of suspensions for an undisclosed number of team marijuana violations. The Longhorns kept the details under wraps, but that wasn’t enough to shield Hill from a “red flag” designation that would ruin his chance to be drafted. But the Vikings still valued him, spending $75,000 to lock him down, which is a lot for an undrafted free agent.
Hill is a prototypical outside corner, which removes him from the Alexander/Hughes/Newman situation. If he can stay out of trouble, he’s very likely to make the roster. In camp and the preseason, he has to prove that his college talents will translate to the pro level. And beyond that, he has to keep his head above water and avoid any incidents. Whether he succeeds or fails, it will have a ripple effect on the rest of the group. Holton Hill will be crucial to watch as the preseason moves forward.
Marcus Sherels
Any Vikings fan should be intimately familiar with Sherels and his story. In case you’re a new fan, Sherels is a native Minnesotan who played for the Gophers, scraped his way onto the team in 2011, took over as the punt returner, and never looked back. He hasn’t been able to impress at cornerback, however, which leaves the question every year: is he worth a roster spot? Turns out, the answer has always been yes, even in the face of constant challenges at returner and punt gunner. This marks his ninth season with the Vikings and at 30, he begins yet another season that could “finally be the year he gets cut.”
This year, Sherels’ challenges are a bit more extreme. While he’s faced down return man challenges before, none of them came in as first round picks with legendary highlights like Mike Hughes. And UDFA Holton Hill presents a very good reason to make unexpected room on the CB depth chart. Should he make the team, he’d be a backup outside corner, and is probably competing directly with Holton Hill for that honor.
Horace Richardson
At SMU, Horace Richardson was always a leader for the Mustangs, but unfortunately, injuries stopped him from being the standout he was capable of. Still, Richardson managed to have a healthy and productive enough senior year to get a look by the Vikings after going undrafted in 2017. Richardson ended up missing the roster but making the practice squad, which was a good sign. Practice squad players rarely see the field, and tend to mean more for stashing potential. If the Vikings saw potential in Richardson, it’s probably good news for his tender knees.
Unfortunately for Richardson, this year’s CB group doesn’t look any easier to break into than last year’s. He’ll also have to fend off a whole new slew of challengers for his hold on a practice squad slot. If Holton Hill fails to make the team, he’ll have to contend with a much more exciting rookie for the practice squad slot as well as Craig James and new faces at safety. Richardson has been injured, doubted, and overlooked for most of his playing career. If he has the ability to break into the spotlight, he’ll be worth keeping an eye on late in this year’s preseason games. If it doesn’t, Richardson’s NFL road could end here.
Craig James
At one point in 2015, Craig James was a promising young Minnesota Golden Gopher. But as a sophomore, he decided to transfer out of the big program with a saturated cornerback room. He went to Southern Illinois Carbondale where he could stand out a little more. In a stroke of twisted luck, a hamstring injury kept him out of SIU’s pro day, causing him to attend much bigger Northwestern’s instead. Still, James went undrafted and unsigned. He was choosing between a CFL offer and an internship at his local high school when the Vikings invited him to be a warm body at rookie minicamp. With that, a spark – James kicked someone else off the 90-man and earned a three year contract.
At 5’10” and 187 lbs, Craig James will almost certainly play slot corner for the 3rd team defense. It’s likely that he’s just a camp body, but with a three year contract, he has every chance in the world to make the practice squad and act as a reserve for Mike Hughes and Mackensie Alexander. He and Trevon Mathis are almost the exact same size, suggesting that they’ll directly compete for the honor. James has the distinct advantage of a punt return resume and faster athletic numbers, but will have to show polish in the preseason.
Trevon Mathis
In high school, Mathis played both cornerback and receiver, but always turned more heads as a corner. This led to not only Toledo recruiting him, but playing him throughout his entire college career, including two full years as a starter. Through rivalry games and coaching changes, Mathis was a rock for a consistent Toledo franchise. This is a lot more experience than most college players get, but a lack of height and a mediocre 40 yard dash at his pro day sent him slipping out of the draft. He had to settle for a UDFA contract with the Vikings.
Mathis is likely competing with Craig James to be a reserve practice squad slot corner. With his athletic disadvantage, Mathis will have to rely on his experience and consistency with Toledo to propel him past James. Mathis will have to show ability on special teams to lock in any sort of future with the Vikings. He’ll also need to acclimate to the slot. The rotation between the two will be one of the few straightforward camp battles this deep on the roster.
Jayron Kearse
Kearse grew up in Fort Meyers, Florida, and like a lot of places in Southern Florida, it wasn’t a great neighborhood. Kearse tells stories of growing up drowning in gun violence and gang influence, and at 14 was arrested for a gunpoint robbery. But Kearse took that moment as an opportunity to change. Through high school and into college at Clemson, Jayron was starting to live up to his pedigree (his uncle and cousin were both 1st round draft picks). But due to some tackling issues, strange size for a safety, and possibly his checkered past, Kearse fell to the 7th round, and the Vikings. Here, he’s been a special teams standout and backup safety, and serves as an inspiring example of how to overcome one’s past.
There’s not going to be much room for Kearse to move upward as long as Smith and Sendejo are in place. But Kearse’s roster spot will continue to be under siege, especially with Terence Newman’s possible move to safety crowding the position. Kearse has a lot of momentum on special teams, and can probably maintain his roster spot that way. Any improvement as a safety year over year is just gravy.
Anthony Harris
Like many of this year’s undrafted free agents, the Vikings felt they got a steal in Anthony Harris in 2015. Injuries had de-railed the pre-draft process for the UVA standout, and a 3rd round value fell into their laps in the post-draft feeding frenzy. Since then, Harris has notched a number of heroic moments in purple, including an admirable performance in Arizona during his rookie season and a pivotal 3rd down stop in the playoffs. Harris has been solidified as a backup safety in Minnesota, but also defines himself off the field. He’s jumped headlong into the One Love Foundation, and has focused on promoting healthy relationships among youth.
In 2018, Harris will once again have to defend his roster spot from young challengers and possibly even Terence Newman. But his performance when called upon over the last three years gives him a decent cushion. He’s still not immune to a disastrous preseason, or missing the team due to injury, but he’s in a relatively comfortable spot. He and Jayron Kearse will likely be competing to be the next man up in the event of an injury to Sendejo or Smith. Harris won that honor last year, and Kearse the year before that.
Jack Tocho
Last year I wrote about Tocho’s Kenyan heritage and his radio show at NC State. He was chiefly a cornerback for the Wolfpack, but after the Vikings drafted him in the the 7th round, he moved to safety. It wasn’t his first experience at safety, but the transition was tough. He didn’t make the team in 2017, settling the practice squad. He was waived later in the season, but brought back after too long. This happened three times over the season as the Vikings swapped other practice squadders in and out. The last of these signings was a futures contract, inviting Tocho back to try his luck at the roster again in 2018.
Tocho won’t have any easier of a time this year than last, contending with largely the same players (save Tray Matthews in place of Antone Exum). But with some scattered weeks of practice squad experience, Tocho should be more comfortable at safety this year. Look to Tocho during practices and preseason games, as we should be able to see what he’s truly made of. He’s a fine practice squad candidate, however, the safety group in Minnesota is hard to crack into. Tocho will also be trying to put out the best tape he can for other teams that may be scouting him.
Tray Matthews
For Tray, simply getting to this point is something to be proud of. After getting a chance to play for his hometown Georgia Bulldogs, Matthews struggled with grades, injury and a 2014 theft scandal. He was dismissed from the team, picked up by Auburn and sat out for a year per NCAA transfer rules. Add that to a double shoulder surgery, making him unable to lie down, and Matthews was at rock bottom. But he didn’t give up. He kept working his way into Auburn’s lineup, and became a leader on the defense. But the damage of his past was done – he had lost valuable years of development, and his past scared teams off. He fell out of the draft, but found himself signing with the Vikings soon after.
Tray Matthews landed in a tough spot – to gain a place on the roster, he’ll have to knock off an entrenched veteran, not to mention Jack Tocho taking his second crack at the main roster. But if Matthews has a good enough preseason, the play levels of Anthony Harris and Jayron Kearse are not unclearable bars. Matthews plays a physical, strong safety role and in some ways is the opposite to smaller, rangier Anthony Harris. But Matthews has the athletic potential to be an excellent practice squad candidate if the Vikings can’t bring themselves to part with the incumbent safeties.
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