As One Vikings Rookie Looks to Fulfill Huge Expectations, Another Quietly Eyes His Own Leading Role
The curious reader won’t have to look too far to find hype surrounding Vikings rookie Jordan Addison. Minnesota had a shot at snagging a top-notch corner at 23rd overall but instead opted for the WR, a surefire indication that they think highly of him.
The next opportunity to draft someone, though, resulted in the Vikings welcoming a talented corner. Mekhi Blackmon — who was teammates with Addison at USC — has quietly risen up the depth chart. Byron Murphy is the locked-in CB1 while Akayleb Evans is the CB2, but there’s an opening for that third spot. Blackmon should be considered the leader for that responsibility.
Mekhi Blackmon, the Vikings Rookie Looking for a Starting Job
Last season, slot corner Chandon Sullivan was basically a starter. The former Packer played in all 17 games, officially starting 10. He was on the field for 945 snaps, good for 81% of the team’s total. The point? Simply that a CB3 in the modern NFL lives on the field, not the bench.
Now, that was under the old defensive sheriff, so there must be some caution when it comes to the slot role in 2023. Brian Flores will do things differently from Ed Donatell, a reality that fans will surely embrace.
The Vikings’ leadership has already indicated that they’re going to lean heavily on the safeties, a fact that’s reinforced by the team’s decision to keep a half dozen players at the overlooked position.
What that actually means is a nickel package featuring a trio of safeties. Josh Metellus and/or Camryn Bynum will soak up some snaps in the slot, and Harrison Smith is bound to get a few more than normal, as well. Kevin O’Connell certainly affirmed that idea, noting that they’ll be “able to play multiple versions of five DBs on the field based upon what we think is best.”
Even with the understanding that Donatell is no longer in town and the acknowledgement that the safeties will be important, Blackmon still has a shot at some major playing time. His size — 6’0″, 175 pounds — certainly points toward someone who could hang out inside. In 2022, Blackmon only picked up 3 snaps in the slot for USC (compared to a whopping 805 out wide), but that number was at 179 snaps in 2021.
During the offseason, the Vikings experimented with kicking Blackmon inside. Reporters like Darren Wolfson of KSTP and Alec Lewis of The Athletic are just a pair of examples of those who passed along the word. Film nerds may even enjoy seeing a clip of the rookie in the Seattle preseason game where he wins his rep along the inside:
Maybe the team is comfortable putting Blackmon exclusively along the outside, but the safest bet is that Flores will be asking his corners to line up in different spots. Murphy’s job will involve moving in and out with great regularity; if he can mirror his veteran counterpart, Blackmon will find himself on the field early and often.
The mass exodus of corner talent means there’s a perfect opportunity for at least one or two young corners to step into huge jobs for the Vikings defense. All eyes are on Mr. Addison and the offense, but the 3rd-round corner may be the one who steals the show on Sunday.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and PFF helped with this piece.
K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter and as a co-host for Notes from the North, a humble Vikings podcast.