Vikings Visit with an Underdog CB Prospect
Josh Frey
|
Oftentimes, the NFL Draft is filled with underdog stories.
While there certainly are players (particularly at the top of each class) who have been consensus top picks all year, others have had to fight their way towards NFL recognition. The latter is precisely the case for CB prospect Qwan’tez Stiggers, who visited with the Minnesota Vikings.
Underdog CB Prospect Visits the Vikings
Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 tweeted on Friday, “NFLDraft2024 cornerback Qwan’Tez Stiggers @CFL to visit #Vikings has also had visits with #Ravens #Broncos #Jets #Dolphins #Lions and #Texans visits per his agent, Fred Lyles, to @KPRC2.”
Earlier this spring, Nick Baumgardner of The Athletic wrote a story on Stiggers, laying out his very unique path to the NFL Draft. Stiggers’ NFL road began a tiny high school near Atlanta, Georgia, before he committed to Division II Lane College in Tennessee for the 2020 season.
However, his father’s passing in September 2020 then took Stiggers away from school and football. He wouldn’t play again until 2022 when he joined the Fan Controlled Football league, which is described as “a 7-on-7 indoor football league where the players run the plays that the fans call. Every play, the fans of the offensive team get to vote on what play to run. The play with the most votes wins.”
After shining in that league, Stiggers garnered enough steam to try out for the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL, and not only did Stiggers make the team, but he quickly blossomed into a star. He played 16 games during this past season, and he recorded 56 total tackles along with five interceptions, which tied for the second-most in the entire league.
The Vikings currently have nine cornerbacks on their roster, but they certainly could use some extra help at that position. Byron Murphy was a very strong player when he was healthy last season, but Minnesota never truly found consistent play from the rest of that group during the season.
Akayleb Evans has shown some flashes over the past two seasons, but he certainly hasn’t been a lockdown CB2 in the Vikings defense. Meanwhile, 2023 third-round pick Mekhi Blackmon took some positive strides during the year, and hope still exists for Andrew Booth, who played some strong snaps when he got on the field last season.
Of course, the Vikings also brought in Shaquill Griffin, who is a veteran defensive back and has appeared in 89 games with 79 starts, and he has totaled 366 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, one sack, 64 passes defended, seven interceptions, and a forced fumble.
Could Stiggers be taken by the Vikings will flyer late in the draft? Time will tell, but the 22-year-old cornerback is a player worth rooting for.
The View from VT: 4 Vikings Trade Candidates, Hockenson Update, and Worst Case in the Draft
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.