A Rising Corner Prospect is Getting Mocked to Minnesota
The Vikings still have plenty of work to do to get their roster in order. Bringing some OL talent aboard would be a welcome sight, and there needs to be more additions in the defensive front seven. Nowhere is there greater concern, though, than in the secondary. As a result, it makes sense that folks are mocking Trent McDuffie to Minnesota.
Take a peak at a recent article from PFF. It considers teams that weren’t as active in free agency, partnering them with draft prospects who can fill a need:
Minnesota’s current depth chart at cornerback does not make for pretty reading. The only player who has shown anything in the way of consistent positive play is Cameron Dantzler, a former third-round pick who fell out of favor with the previous coaching staff on multiple occasions. The Vikings don’t have the money left to attack that position in a major way in free agency, so they may have boxed themselves into needing to draft one early.
At Pick No. 12 overall, there’s a chance Minnesota has a shot at the top two players at the position in Ahmad ‘Sauce’ Gardner from Cincinnati or Derrick Stingley Jr. out of LSU. If those players are both gone, Trent McDuffie may actually prove to be the perfect scheme fit.
They go on:
McDuffie put up phenomenal tape in college, but he doesn’t tick the measurables boxes that a lot of teams need to see at cornerback. He checked in at 5-foot-11, 193 pounds and with arms that are under 30 inches in length. Those features would often get a cornerback branded as a slot-only type for certain NFL teams, but new head coach Kevin O’Connell comes from a defense in Los Angeles that got high-end play out of smaller cornerbacks.
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Ultimately, if the Vikings trust the tape, they could grab a player who didn’t give up a touchdown in his final two seasons and allowed a meager 52.1 NFL passer rating into his coverage over that time.
In recent years, the Vikings have spent an unusually high amount of early draft capital on corners. For this reason, it’s still peculiar to see that it’s their weakest position. One could certainly make the case that corner is the most important position after quarterback. In other words, the team would be wise to keep investing picks here.
Trent McDuffie has been getting more and more momentum as an early pick in the recent mocks. Smart teams are the ones who marry need and value in the draft. At 12th overall, the Vikings may have the capacity to do that, opting for a player who justifies such a lofty draft position while (ideally) also beefing up an area of the roster that needs reinforcements.
Perhaps McDuffie will be precisely what the Vikings need.
Purple PTSD Also Read: How Adam Thielen Earned His Spot in Minnesota
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