The Vikings’ Bad News Cut Candidate
Safe to say that Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has a left something to be desired when it comes to drafting. The Vikings’ bad news may soon get worse in that regard. Indeed, a future where Mekhi Blackmon is shown the door could reasonably occur.
The third-year corner appears likely to be on the final team (my best guess says he will be). He is, after all, someone who was chosen in the 3rd back in the 2023 NFL Draft. Since then, he has had a promising rookie season while then losing all of his sophomore season due to a knee injury. He should be on the team, but Adofo-Mensah has proven to be someone who makes bold, unexpected decisions. Is Mr. Blackmon going to make it onto the team?
The Vikings’ Bad News Cut Candidate
Generally speaking, playing time is a good thing. Not as much when one is in his third NFL season and is a Day 2 selection.
Brian Flores has been asking Mekhi Blackmon to change positions, shifting from primarily being an outside corner to one who is operating in the slot with some regularity. The transition hasn’t been flawless. Things are — at best — a work in progress. He had some rough moments in the preseason.
Usually, a corner gets help from the sideline. Sounds like a minor detail but it’s not. An outside corner gets added certainty from the simple fact that a wide receiver is limited in his movement by the boundary.
A slot corner, in contrast, is working against a receiver who can move either east or west with a much greater degree of freedom. There therefore needs to be some good quickness alongside an ability to change directions with ease. So, too, is there going to be more opportunity to get involved as a tackler (Blackmon is a good tackler).
On PFF, there’s been an effort to account for how Mekhi Blackmon has been playing. In the opening preseason game, the corner earned a 55.9 grade within his 34 snaps. In the second preseason game, the corner earned a 52.1 grade within his 55 snaps. In the final preseason game, the corner earned a 43.1 grade within his 28 snaps. He has been tasked with lining up along the outside for 44 snaps versus 62 in the slot (alongside 10 snaps in the box and 1 along the defensive line).
Put simply, Mekhi Blackmon has had an underwhelming return to the football field. Few, if any, NFL passers are going to be scared of throwing into his coverage. He’ll need to change that reality in the regular season.
More broadly, the Vikings have some questions to answer at corner. Byron Murphy Jr. put together his best NFL season last year, doing so as his contract was expiring. Can he maintain his CB1 abilities? And then there’s Isaiah Rodgers alongside Jeff Okudah. Those three are supposed to function at an above-average level, largely due to having an elite front seven.
Afterwards, the questions begin. Dwight “Nudie” McGlothern made the team last season after showing promise as an undrafted player. Can he take a step? What about Zemaiah Vaughn, another undrafted corner with promise but one who got tripped up on Friday night?
The safeties are going to get leaned on with a great degree of regularity. Harrison Smith and Josh Metellus are both strong. Unpopular opinion: free safety Theo Jackson may end up having the largest impact. Combine the top trio of corners with the top trio of safeties. Is that going to be enough?
Do note, as well, that safety Jay Ward was chosen in the 2023 NFL Draft. Ward has been unable to make a difference on defense, soaking up a huge majority of his playing time on specials. He’s looking like the S4 and someone who could get a bit of work defensively in 2025.
Since becoming the GM, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has made an effort to reinforce the corner position through the draft. Most notably, the 2022 picks that got used on Andrew Booth Jr. and Akayleb Evans didn’t work out.
Seeing the corner chosen in 2023 — Mekhi Blackmon — moved out would just add onto the poor drafting in this area.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and PFF helped with this piece.
