The Vikings’ Trail of Clues for an Unheralded Defender Pushing for a Roster Spot
Upon first glance, UDFA corner Zemaiah Vaughn possesses an uphill battle to get onto the final roster, but the Vikings’ trail of clues leave one with the impression that the young fella has a chance.
Vaughn, in all likelihood, would do well to find a spot on the practice squad. Doing so would mean he has a shot to get onto the active roster if there ends up being a need as he continues working on his skills. The Vikings, though, are not shy about making room for UDFAs when these players make a compelling case to get onto the team. Does the young corner make such a case?
The Vikings’ Trail of Clues for Zemaiah Vaughn
Already, Mr. Vaughn has been a focus on PurplePTSD on a few occasions.
Janik Eckardt, for instance, wrote about the corner snagging a meaty contract to come over to Minnesota. More specifically, the guaranteed money is what stands out: “Vaughn got $249,000 in guaranteed dollars when he signed with the club. That ranks him third on the team behind the aforementioned [Tyler] Batty and [Ben] Yurosek. Auburn’s linebacker Austin Keys also received $249,000.”
Clearly, the Vikings made it a priority to acquire the Utah corner. Doing so meant tossing over a pretty large payday. That’s the first clue.
Standing at 6’3″ and weighing 187 pounds, Vaughn offers good size for the position. His final season in college involved scooping up plenty of work along the outside, putting together 632 snaps as a wide corner against just 37 in the slot.
The strange detail, at least according to PFF, is that he didn’t play particularly well. The site gives him a 65.5 grade, a drop off from the season before when he was sitting at a 74.7 grade (alongside a 76.9 grade back in 2022).
Early on with the Vikings, though, the corner has made an impression.
Again, Eckardt comes around to the news, highlighting the strong moment from the rookie corner. Zemaiah Vaughn got his mitts on a pass, picking off a fellow rookie in a play that earned him some praise from coaches.
Craig Peters of the Vikings’ website offered a summary of the moment: “Beyond intended pass catchers, there also were back-to-back interceptions recorded. The first was by undrafted rookie Zemaiah Vaughn, which prompted O’Connell to walk over and congratulate him. The second was by sixth-round pick Kobe King, a linebacker out of Penn State.”
Eckardt then relies on the insight from Alec Lewis of The Athletic alongside a video clip of the interception to describe how a pair of coaches — including head coach Kevin O’Connell — tossed some praise in Vaughn’s direction.
In 2024, Zemaiah Vaughn played in a dozen games for Utah. He picked up 40 tackles to stand alongside 2 sacks and 5 tackles for loss. He had an interception — one that got brought back for a score — to stand alongside 5 passes defended. There was even a forced fumble tossed into the mix.
Truth be told, Minnesota only boasts a trio of corners who are assured of a roster spot: Byron Murphy Jr., Isaiah Rodgers, and Mekhi Blackmon. Only injury could dislodge them from their spots on the 53-man roster. Jeff Okudah is a favorite to jump into CB4/5 and then guys like Dwight McGlothern and Ambry Thomas have their promise, as well.
The task for Vaughn involves leapfrogging several players while (possibly) convincing the decision makers to keep an extra corner. He has earned a strong payday and made an early impression in the initial on-field work. Another sneaky clue? The delay in adding a more proven veteran. The suggestion is that Minnesota wants to let the young corners battle in the offseason to see if one (or two) really shine. If so, then the Vikings will have found a reasonably strong corner option for cheap.
Those clues combine to suggest that Zemaiah Vaughn is trending in the right direction, but the bulk of his work is still ahead of him. The corner is 23.
Editor’s Note: Information from Sports Reference CFB, PFF, 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 and Bluesky (@VikingsGazette). If you feel so inclined, subscribe to his Substack, The Vikings Gazette, for more great Vikings content.
