Vikings Visit with a Huge Corner who has a Ton of Speed
Maybe Brian Flores has a type. After all, the recent trade acquisition — Nahshon Wright — has some tremendous size. Furthermore, Flores has spoken positively about Akayleb Evans’ size in the past, so maybe the Vikings feel like adding a corner with some height would be a good thing.
Per Aaron Wilson of KPRC2, Ameer Speed landed a Vikings visit: “#Vikings hosted defensive back Ameer Speed for a visit.” Kwesi Adofo-Mensah puts a lot of hours into his profession, so the simple fact that he’s jumping into fact-finding adventures to learn more about the NFL’s free agents shouldn’t come as a surprise. What does Speed have to offer?
Vikings Visit with Ameer Speed
Start off with the basic information.
Mr. Speed — great name — stands at 6’3″ and weighs 215 pounds. So, excellent size, the kind of height/weight combo that suggests he could potentially develop into a matchup weapon against receivers like the NFC’s Mike Evans, D.K. Metcalf, and Christian Watson (among others).
Even more upside gets captured in the simple fact that he ran a blistering forty. He has 4.34 wheels, meaning that he could realistically be faster than every corner on Minnesota’s roster. Plus, he played for a major college program — Georgia — from 2017 to 2021. In 2022, he shifted over to Michigan State.
New England snagged the corner at No. 214 in the 2023 NFL Draft. Given what has just been said — tremendous size, speed, and major college programs — Speed’s draft placement offers a hint: he needs more time to develop. Corners who are 6’3″ and run a 4.3 go in the 1st Round if they’re already polished players.
Unfortunately for Speed, his NFL journey has already taken some twists and turns. The Patriots released him in October of 2023. Shortly thereafter, the Colts swooped in with a waiver claim. However, Indianapolis decided to release him from their practice squad on September 17th, 2024.
When it comes to NFL experience, Speed has picked up a bit of work. He has 12 career defensive snaps. On special teams, Speed has gotten onto the field for 227 snaps. Maybe the Vikings see someone who could thrive as a long-and-strong gunner or who could make a difference in the new kickoff coverage format.
The fact that Minnesota is conducting a visit suggests that they had Ameer Speed on their radar going into the 2023 NFL Draft. Quite possibly, the corner was a late-round target and/or someone they would have prioritized in undrafted free agency had he got there.
The Vikings’ current corner strategy involves leaning on veterans who are operating on single-season deals (as discussed on TVG). All of Stephon Gilmore, Shaq Griffin, and Fabian Moreau fit that criteria. Moreover, Byron Murphy — also a free-agent add — is working on the final year of his deal.
Otherwise, there is third-year corner Akayleb Evans, someone who has been demoted after starting most of 2023. And then there’s UDFA Dwight McGlothern, someone whom the Vikings are developing on the active roster.
Minnesota’s next game takes place on Sunday, September 22nd. The Vikings’ corners will be facing a tough task as they try to corral Nico Collins, Stefon Diggs, and Tank Dell. Kickoff takes place at 12 p.m. CT.
If the Vikings decide that they want to turn the Ameer Speed visit into a contract, then they’ll be able to dip into their roughly $11.1 million in cap space to do so.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
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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, as a co-host for Notes from the North, and as the proprietor at The Vikings Gazette, a humble Vikings Substack.