Vikings – How Will The CB Group Perform?
The Vikings decided to go younger at the cornerback position in 2020. They watched Xavier Rhodes, Mackensie Alexander and Trae Waynes all sign elsewhere after each had subpar 2019 seasons. Pro Football Focus gave Rhodes a coverage rating of 46.5, Alexander received a 65.7 and Waynes has a 65.1.
As a result, the Viking used their first-round pick on Jeff Gladney out of TCU and followed that up with drafting Mississippi State’s Cameron Dantzler in the third round.
Gladney has the size and plays a physical game, whereas Dantzler is smaller but his skills makes him a promising candidate if he can add on some pounds. Each will be competing with returners Mike Hughes and Holton Hill for outside roles.
For Hughes, he needs to stay healthy. He has yet to play a full 16-game season for the Vikings. But when he’s been on the field, he’s been very solid defensively.
The cornerback position has a lot of new faces for Minnesota. But with some high-rated rookies competing for playing time, the Vikings might be in better shape defensively than they were last season.
