Vikings Should Give an Undrafted Rookie a Look
Week 14 will be a reunion with longtime Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins. He bolted for Atlanta in March after six seasons in the North, perhaps hoping for a better chance to reach the postseason ‒ the contractual details surely mattered, too. Nine months later, the Vikings have been outpacing the Falcons in the win column.
Vikings Should Give an Undrafted Rookie a Look
Cousins will be under pressure on Sunday after possibly the worst three-game stretch of his long career. Rookie first-round pick Michael Penix Jr. is waiting in the wings, and the franchise might turn to their young passer if the struggles continue.
The signal-caller, however, will face a tough defense coordinated by Brian Flores. His crew is getting after the quarterback and is assignment-sound in the secondary.
The latter element will be tested against Cousins and company as veteran cornerback Stephon Gilmore is trending in the wrong direction. He seems unlikely to suit up on Sunday after missing practice on Wednesday and Thursday because of a hamstring injury suffered against the Cardinals.
Fellow veteran defensive back Fabian Moreau entered the game and he mightily struggled against rookie Marvin Harrison Jr.
A rookie would be next in line. The Vikings snatched a rookie right after the draft, signing undrafted defender Dwight McGlothern. He has yet to make his NFL debut, but he has an intriguing skill set.
In August, head coach Kevin O’Connell praised the 21-year-old: “He’s shown up, it’s a great point, he’s shown up all camp. Not only just the cover skills that we knew he had but his fit in the defense. He’s definitely put himself right in the conversation to have a chance to make our football team.”
The team he made, indeed. He shined in the preseason and in training camp and superseded some higher-ranked players entering camp, like Andrew Booth Jr.
Just last week, the Vikings also moved on from former draft pick Akayleb Evans, seemingly feeling good about the depth with McGlothern and Moreau.
The cornerback possesses a promising athletic profile, with the requisite length at 6-2 and a 4.47-second 40-yard dash, although it is combined with underwhelming results in broad and vertical jumps. After two seasons at LSU, McGlothern transferred to Arkansas.
He registered seven interceptions in his last two collegiate seasons against top-notch SEC competition.
NFL scout Lance Zierlein wrote about the prospect before the draft: “Ball-hawking cornerback with the eyes, instincts and ball skills to flip the field against careless quarterbacks. McGlothern can press a little bit and handle some man coverage. However, he might be at his best in zone coverages, where he can scan the field and play chess with the route combinations and quarterbacks.”
If Gilmore is sitting out the matchup with Cousins, Shaq Griffin will replace him as the cornerback next to Byron Murphy, and Moreau should be expected to be the next man up. However, there’s a chance that Vikings fans will get their first glimpse of McGlothern since the preseason.
Editor’s Note: Information from Sports Reference CFB helped with this article.
Vikings Player Earned an Award
Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and prefers Classic rock over other genres. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt