Do the Vikings View Cornerback as a First-Round Need?
With the 18th pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Vikings sit in a familiar middle-ground position. That reality raises a recurring question for the franchise: whether cornerback is a position worth a first-round investment, given both roster needs and recent draft history.
The Vikings have plenty of needs, especially on the defensive side of the ball. It’s a unit with a lack of young talent to support the aging veterans. Of course, there are needs elsewhere, with tight end potentially being a sneaky one.
Recent history has shown us that the Vikings aren’t huge believers in spending big at the corner position, though.
Minnesota Hasn’t Drafted a True CB1 in Over a Decade
For as long as I have (and you) have been alive, the Minnesota Vikings have needed legitimacy at the cornerback position.
They’ve taken shots in recent memory. The club spent a first-rounder on Xavier Rhodes in 2013, which ended up being worth the investment. Trae Waynes came in 2015 and didn’t live up to the hype, but was at least a solid player for a couple of seasons. Mike Hughes in 2018 and the late Jeff Gladney in 2020 received their draft-day calls from the Vikings, but neither stayed in the Twin Cities for long.
Gladney in 2020 was the last time the Vikings spent a first-round selection at the position. If I had to gauge Minnesota’s interest in drafting a corner, I’d say it’s pretty low. The just relieved GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah never spent more than a third-rounder for a corner. This happened when they drafted Mekhi Blackmon in 2023. Two years later, he was off the team anyway.
Maybe it’s just having Brian Flores around, who possesses the ability to make lemonade out of lemons before they’ve ripened. Minnesota had an elite passing defense last season with the corner room of Byron Murphy Jr., Isaiah Rodgers Sr., Jeff Okudah, and Fabian Moreau.
Defensive passing game coordinator Daronte Jones just jumped the Viking longboat in order to become the new defensive coordinator of the Washington Commanders.
The Vikings Should Still Have Options at CB at 18th Overall
Speaking of playing themselves out of having shots at certain players, it’s more than likely that Minnesota won’t have a shot at LSU CB Mansoor Delane. Many mock drafts have him going in the early teens, but I would predict that he goes in the late-top 10.
There are other corners with a first-round grade available, however. Clemson CB Avieon Terrell poses an intriguing option for the Vikings.
Terrell’s exceptional ability to mirror receivers with fluid hips and natural ball-tracking ability provides a promising foundation for defensive coordinator Brian Flores to build a house upon. Terrell also provides some return-game upside. The younger brother of the Atlanta Falcons’ A.J. Terrell averaged 32.1 yards per return on kickoffs and 15.8 yards per return on punts.
Terrell is a coin flip to be available, but there are a few other corners that should be going in the range of the 18th pick that the Vikings own. At least, as of now.
The likely one is Tennessee CB Jermod McCoy. McCoy excelled at zone coverage in his collegiate career and had a knack for breaking on the ball when thrown. Like Terrell, he possesses the ability to mirror receivers, though Terrell could objectively do it a bit better when in man, something that would translate better to a Brian Flores defense.
Tennessee’s Colton Hood will likely be available, who is fundamentally sound in man and zone coverage, while his run defending skills are a bit shaky.
Is This the Year the Vikings Try Drafting a CB Again?
The Vikings don’t have a lot going for them in the cornerback room, especially for the future. Things can, of course, change in free agency, but all of those guys will already be a handful of years into their careers with some miles on the tires.
I should say, I’d be in on them making a play for Seahawks CB Tariq Woolen if they can get the money right. If they aren’t to use free agency, then they would almost have to spend early draft capital on the cornerback room.
The only corner on the roster they are truly married to past 2026 is Byron Murphy Jr. Murph is a fine corner, but it’s not breaking news that you need more than one “fine” corner on the roster in today’s modern game, even when Brian Flores is the DC.
It will be interesting to see what Minnesota does. This isn’t saying that the Vikings must draft a corner at 18th, as there are other holes to fill across the roster.
The question is whether the organization views cornerback as a position worth a first-round investment, especially given its recent draft history and Brian Flores’ ability to elevate the secondary without premium picks. That combination may lower the urgency to spend at the position early, even if the long-term need is obvious.
For now, cornerback appears to be more of an option than a mandate. As the board takes shape and free agency plays out, the Vikings’ approach will become clearer — and it may say as much about their draft philosophy as it does about the position itself.
