Vikings Draftee Gets Career’s Second Chapter Off to Promising Start
If the cosmic forces in the universe want to make something unusual happen in the NFL, then the Vikings and Colts will battle for the Super Bowl in February. Otherwise, just note there are no shortage of connections tying the pair of teams together in 2025.
One such connection rests in corner Mekhi Blackmon, a Vikings draftee from the 2023 NFL Draft. He put together a promising rookie season before suffering a season-ending injury leading into the 2024 season, undermining his sophomore year before it could begin. Prior to the beginning of the 2025 roster cuts, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah shipped Blackmon over to Indianapolis for a 6th.
Vikings Draftee Mekhi Blackmon Shows Some Promise
Start off with the trade.
For some onlookers, getting a 6th for a corner on his rookie contract isn’t great. He was, after all, someone chosen in the 3rd. Something to keep in mind is Blackmon’s contract status. Using a 3rd on Blackmon from within the draft itself amounts to cashing in an asset for four years of cost-controlled play. The Colts bringing Blackmon to town ahead of 2025 only involves a pair of cost-controlled seasons. That basic fact alone bumps down the corner’s value.
Further undermining Blackmon’s value on the trade market are the serious injury he suffered alongside his struggles in the preseason.
The end result was Mekhi Blackmon for a 6th from the Colts. The Vikings are moving ahead with a very lean corner position consisting of just Byron Murphy Jr., Isaiah Rodgers, Jeff Okudah, and Dwight McGlothern. If the corner quartet struggles, many will wonder about the young corner who was traded out.
Blackmon’s opening game as a Colt involved earning 22 snaps on defense (46% of the total) alongside 5 snaps on special teams (29% of the total). Given that the defender only made the move to his new team on August 25th, the workload is pretty respectable. He rewarded his team with a trio of tackles.
Meanwhile, Camryn Bynum had an interception to stand alongside a pair of passes defended while Daniel Jones was shredding the Dolphins’ overmatched defense. The Bynum interception and dance made some sense; the Jones dominance caught many by surprise.
The word on PFF is that Mekhi Blackmon had an unspectacular day. The tackling grade was formidable — 76.5 — but his overall grade came in at a modest 58.3. Note that he lined up along the outside for 19 snaps, in the slot for 1 snap, and in the box for 2 snaps. He didn’t allow a catch and his Colts corralled Miami to just 8 points.
At present, the Colts are listing Mekhi Blackmon as being a backup corner, one who is being looked at as the backup for the slot.
Note that his most promising football in the NFL has arrived while being an outside corner, spots that are manned by Charvarius Ward and Xavien Howard with the Colts. The top option in the slot is Kenny Moore II.
Going forward, Mekhi Blackmon is going to look to prove capable of cracking the starting lineup. Doing so will mean earning more snaps as he continues venturing through his rookie contract. He’ll be eligible to sign an extension after the current season, meaning there’s a ton of financial incentive to push his game upward. At the very least, the corner is going to be a free agent in the 2027 offseason (coming faster than we think, folks).
Also occurring within the Week 1 Colts win was improved odds of a snazzy compensatory pick due to Daniel Jones playing so well.
Next up for Mekhi Blackmon and the Colts is a battle versus the Broncos. The Vikings, meanwhile, will be hosting the Falcons on Sunday Night Football.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and PFF helped with this piece.
