The Minnesota Vikings spent three of their first five picks in the 2022 NFL draft on the secondary, but they didn’t get much return on that investment because of injury. It’s easy to want to pour more money into the cornerback position when you are consistently playing fifth- and sixth-string players.
Nevertheless, the Vikings will need to fortify the position in the offseason, and mock drafts are going to have them taking a cornerback.
The latest mock draft from Trevor Sikkema at Pro Football Focus has the Vikings doing just that by taking Illinois cornerback Devon Witherspoon. Here is what Sikkema had to say about him:
The Vikings’ projected offseason shows they’ll have a big cornerback need, especially with Patrick Peterson getting up there in age as a 32-year-old pending free agent. Witherspoon has been one of the best outside cornerbacks in the country this season, with an elite 92.6 grade in coverage and only 206 yards allowed all year. He now oozes first-round potential because of it.
Witherspoon has both the coverage and physical skills to succeed in the National Football League and could give a real boost to the Vikings defense. Would it be wise to go cornerback so early after investing a lot into both Andrew Booth Jr. and Akayleb Evans? That’s the question.