The Vikings’ Dark Horse Starter
In the past few months, the Minnesota Vikings have addressed various weaknesses. The offensive line was overhauled following another disappointing season, and the defensive line got some more pass-rushing prowess. The secondary, however, is still a reason for concern.
Dwight McGlothern Starting for the Vikings?
The Vikings are coming off their best secondary performance in years, but it was still far from good, and having three aging players in the unit wasn’t sustainable. Stephon Gilmore and Shaq Griffin are gone, but the cornerback rotation has only one experienced starter in Byron Murphy Jr.
That, however, opens the door for a sophomore to make some noise in the next two months: Dwight McGlothern.
McGlothern in College
A four-star prospect out of Texas, McGlothern joined LSU. He had a backup role in his first season and earned a starting gig in year two. The long corner then transferred to Arkansas.
The DB 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.
In his 38 games in college, McGlothern accumulated 113 tackles and eight interceptions. The intriguing wrinkle is that seven of those came in the two campaigns at Arkansas, showing his playmaking ability.
NFL Draft analyst Lance Zierlein wrote ahead of the McGlothern going undrafted: “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. He overlaps coverage areas to make plays on the football and has Cover 3 cornerback written all over him.”
All of that explains why folks were fascinated by the rookie entering last summer.
“McGlothern is passive as a run defender, which will slide him down the board for some teams. He possesses average speed and athleticism, but the skills are there to label him a Day 3 prospect with upside,” Zierlein added.
McGlothern with the Vikings
Early on in Minnesota’s training camp, McGlothern created some buzz, and Skol Nation saw the man in action in the preseason. In those three exhibition matches, he was excellent.
In August, head coach Kevin O’Connell praised the 22-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 football team he made, indeed. McGlothern stuck around all year. He was waiting for his chance and only got a few snaps. The defender appeared in five games and logged 19 defensive snaps and 17 on special teams. He had 12 coverage snaps, allowing zero catches on two targets. In the preseason, he was targeted four times. Two of those were caught for a total of seven yards, and McGlothern snatched one pick.
At the age of 23, he still has time to grow into a starter for the Vikings. His role is a total mystery. The world exists in which he just arrives in training camp ready for a big role. Conversely, a bad camp could cost him his job.
Other Corners
To claim starting duties, McGlothern needs to win one of the jobs behind Murphy Jr.
Isaiah Rodgers was hired to take over one of those, but the other one is a question mark. The Vikings hope Jeff Okudah, a long-time NFL bust, could finally stay healthy and celebrate his breakout season, or third-year third-rounder Mekhi Blackmon could return in good shape after a one-year absence.
Undrafted rookie Zemaiah Vaughn could be this year’s McGlothern, and Ambry Thomas brings NFL experience to the table.
It’s anyone’s guess how this room will shake out, but McGlothern can’t be ruled out.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.