The Vikings secondary is now set up for long-term success 

The future is bright in the Vikings secondary.

Heading into the 2020 NFL season, the Vikings defense is going to look much different than it has over the last few seasons.

The defensive backs have never been the same after the loss to the Eagles in the NFC Championship Game, but Mike Zimmer has the talent in the secondary to rebuild it into something special. 

The Vikings used two of their first four picks on the cornerback position, addressing the biggest hole the team had on its roster. Zimmer got two extremely physical corners that play with a scrappy mentality. 

TCU product Jeff Gladney is going to have the most hype due to being selected in the first round, but Cameron Dantzler out of Mississippi State is another name to keep an eye on, whenever the Vikings are allowed to resume football activities. Both cornerbacks are physical, athletic and play with great footwork.

 

Dantzler was the only cornerback in the SEC to shut down the top receiver-quarterback duo in the FBS. According to Pro Football Focus, Burrow had a 95.2 grade out of 100, 5,341 yards, 56 touchdowns and a 143.2 passer rating against everyone else in 2020. 

When he went up against Dantzler, he had a 70.8 overall grade with 13 yards, zero touchdowns and a 57.3 passer rating. 

Gladney is an ideal fit for Zimmer’s defense, and has received some high praise from the Jets’ second-round pick Denzel Mims. In an interview with Draft Wire’s Justin Melo, Mims said that Gladney is the best cornerback in this draft class. 

“I think Jeff Gladney was one of the best players in college football,” Mims told Melo. “He’s tough, he’s physical. He has that dog mentality. He is a little on the shorter side, but he’s a long guy. He has those long arms. He’s very aggressive. He’s just a great overall player. Of course he can run too. You already knew that. He’s the best corner, in my opinion.” 

The pairing of Gladney and Dantzler combined with Zimmer’s track record with cornerbacks is something worth getting excited about. Gladney and Dantzler have the talent to contribute from day one, and they make the already young secondary even younger. 

Mike Hughes, Holton Hill and Gladney are all 23 years old, and Dantzler is only 21 years old. Although these names are still mostly unproven, they still have the brighter days of their careers ahead of them.

The youth in the secondary combined with one of the league’s best safety tandems with Harrison Smith and Anthony Harris leaves the Vikings with a lot of untapped potential. 

Zimmer has shown over his time in Minnesota how much he values talented players in his secondary. Although 2020 might not be the breakout year for all of the young cornerbacks due to limited practice reps, the team is set up for an extremely bright future at the position.