Potential First-Round Corner Headed to Minnesota for Visit
The Minnesota Vikings hold only four picks in the upcoming draft, so hitting them is vital. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s first choice is scheduled to be the 24th overall pick on April 24th in Green Bay. On his wishlist? Perhaps another defensive back.
Potential First-Round Corner Headed to Minnesota for Visit
One of those is on his way to the Twin Cities and will meet the Vikings this week.
Tom Pelissero reported Monday morning, “Former East Carolina CB Shavon Revel — a projected first-round pick who is recovering from ACL reconstruction — will visit the #Bills, #Colts and #Vikings this week. He’ll also do the combine medical recheck while in Indianapolis.”
Revel played for the smaller school East Carolina in the AAC. A promising defender with the requisite length and athleticism, Revel missed most of his 2024 season due to a torn ACL suffered in practice. Therefore, his medical examination is crucial, which will undoubtedly be part of the visit.
Pelissero added, “Revel’s surgeon, Dr. Daniel Cooper, told teams in a recent letter: ‘After the NFL draft, he will be cleared for all strength and conditioning activities in the off-season program including strength training, powerlifting, and position-specific running and cutting.'”
His injury occurred in September. He’s about seven months removed from the incident, and the season opener will be about 12 months out, which is usually enough time to recover. Ramping up the activity slowly in OTAs and potentially training camp could still be in the cards for the 22-year-old.
In his last two seasons (15 games), Revel allowed only 29 of 61 targets to be caught for only 445 yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions, which is quite outstanding.
At 6-3 and 193 lbs, Revel is a freakish athlete. Not often do cornerbacks of his size have that kind of explosiveness and athleticism. Although he couldn’t run a 40-yard dash, a time in the 4.3s would’ve been realistic after posting a 4.40 at an East Carolina camp a few years back. Considering Minnesota’s lack of a tall boundary cornerback, Brian Flores might be pounding the table for him.
PFF wrote in Revel’s draft profile, “Revel is the ideal Day 2 athletic alien to draft and develop, despite inconsistent anticipation and technique in his current form. His physical gifts (including height and length) point to press-man coverage being his home in the NFL, but it will be quite the adjustment for him to go from one year of staring experience in the AAC to the NFL — especially off a torn ACL.”
In mock drafts throughout last season and early in this offseason, Revel was a commonly mocked player in the 20s, but his stock has plummeted to the late 30s and 40s recently. Perhaps Revel Jr. could be a target even after trading down a few slots, but mock drafters might just overreact to the ACL tear. If teams are happy with his recovery during the meetings, a talented player like Revel could be drafted way higher than anticipated.
Revel would join a cornerback room that is already deep:
- Byron Murphy Jr.
- Isaiah Rodgers
- Mekhi Blackmon
- Jeff Okudah
- Tavierre Thomas
- Dwight McGlothern
- NaJee Thompson
- Ambry Thomas
- Reddy Steward
- Kahlef Hailassie
- Nahshon Wright
If healthy and in shape in time for training camp, Revel would push Isaiah Rodgers and Mekhi Blackmon for a role in Week 1, but even if he isn’t ready, the Vikings could pull the trigger and acquire the corner because they have the depth for him to take his time.
There are plenty of names that make sense for the Vikings, but Revel is definitely one of them as a potential long-term solution at cornerback.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.