Tag: Akayleb Evans

Blake Cashman and Akayleb Evans miss consecutive days of practice

For the Minnesota Vikings, one significant injury and another contributing player could be disastrous heading into the Lions game.

The Minnesota Vikings are a few days away from their biggest game of the season between themselves and the Detroit Lions. Not many things can ruin a team’s season, but injuries can certainly put one on the track to being that way.

For the Minnesota Vikings, one significant injury and another contributing player could be disastrous heading into the Lions game.

Blake Cashman, the team’s leading tackler, has missed the last two days of practice with a turf toe injury. Andrew Kramer with The Star Tribune reported earlier this week that he would miss the game, and it is more likely to be a reality. His absence could make a major difference as the team looks to stop Lions running backs David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs.

Cornerback Akayleb Evans has also missed the last two days of practice with a hip injury. The defensive backs and their rotation have been very successful for the defense. Brian Flores could lose one of those critical contributors, which would cause the defense to run short-handed at two levels.

This will be a game where Brian Flores proves how well he can orchestrate this defense.

The Vikings 2022 draft class has not gone the way Minnesota’s then-rookie GM hoped

The Vikings 2022 draft class has not gone the way Minnesota’s then-rookie GM, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah hoped, with the top two picks gone already

The New York Jets announced they have signed Lewis Cine to the team’s practice squad. Cine jumps to the Jets after the team that drafted the Georgia safety in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings, pulled the plug on the Lewis Cine experiment.

It’s a frustrating ending to the draft marriage between Cine and the Vikings, one that was quite positively viewed back at in 2022. A devastating leg injury ruined Cine’s rookie season, and he’s never recovered enough for the liking of Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores. Cine played in 10 total games in Minnesota, logging exactly one snap per game on defense. No other team claimed Cine on waivers this week.

Cine was the first-ever pick for Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, then a rookie general manager running his initial draft. Obviously, the injury to Cine was unforeseeable, but that whole first draft class from Adofo-Mensah in Minnesota has not gone as planned back in 2022.

1st round, S Lewis Cine: Waived at the 2024 roster deadline.

2nd round, CB Andrew Booth: Traded to Dallas earlier this summer. Two starts in 23 games over two seasons, 20 total tackles and one PD.

2nd round, OG Ed Ingram: Started 32 games at right guard and will continue to start for Minnesota.

3rd round, LB Brian Asamoah: Zero starts, plays almost exclusively on special teams

4th round, CB Akayleb Evans: Started 32 games and coming off a season where he notched 65 tackles, 7 PDs and forced three fumbles.

5th round, DT Esezi Otomewo: Waived after playing 89 snaps on defense as a rookie,

5th round, RB Ty Chandler: Ran for 461 yards and 3 TDs in 2023 while also catching 21 passes. He’ll be the No. 2 RB behind Aaron Jones in 2024.

6th round, OL Vederian Lowe: Traded during the 2023 roster cutdowns to the Patriots for a 2024 6th-round pick.

6th round, WR Jalen Nailor: 12 catches for 208 yards and a TD in 15 games thus far, though Nailor is poised to see the field more in 2024.

7th round, TE Nick Muse: Two offensive snaps in 2023, caught one pass for 12 yards in two years.

Ingram, Evans and Chandler ease some of the sting of those top two picks not working out, but teams that miss on premium picks are always at a major disadvantage. That’s been the development for Adofo-Mensah’s first draft class.

Minnesota Vikings beat writer believes team will trade Akayleb Evans

With roster cutdown day just a day away, will the Minnesota Vikings look to trade cornerback Akayleb Evans? One beat writer thinks so.

Tomorrow is the official roster cutdown deadline in the NFL. By tomorrow afternoon, every team in the league needs to have their roster trimmed down from 90 players to the 53-man roster. A lot of that player movement has already occurred, but a lot of movement has yet to happen. And that movement doesn’t necessarily just mean players being waived or released.

Trades are a real possibility as teams look to get a return on players they would otherwise cut, and other teams look to add players without competing with the entire league on the free-agent market. For the Minnesota Vikings, one of those players who could be enticing trade bait is cornerback Akayleb Evans.

According to Alec Lewis, Minnesota Vikings beat writer for The Athletic, it’s likely that the Vikings are looking to trade the third-year corner. Trading Evans would free up a roster spot for someone like Dwight McGlothern, who has been was a standout during training camp and the preseason.

More than allowing a talented young player a shot at the roster, though, if the Vikings can flip Evans for a late-round draft pick, it could improve their flexibility going into the 2025 NFL Draft. As things stand today, the Vikings only have three picks in the upcoming draft. They’re likely to receive a compensatory pick for free agents lost, but those have yet to be announced.

Flipping Evans for a draft pick would help the team feel slightly better about their lot going into the draft, and give them a bit more ability to maneuver during it. It’s still not much, but it’s a start. And that could be further improved if the team looks to, and is successful in, trading fellow defensive back Lewis Cine.

The Vikings cornerback situation isn’t looking very promising

The current sentiment surrounding two Minnesota Vikings corners is not very good.

The Vikings are having a tough time at cornerback right now. Mekhi Blackmon tore his ACL during the first day of training camp, and on the second day, Shaq Griffin went down during an 11-on-11 drill.

But even with Blackmon’s injury and some possible unknowns with a guy like Griffin, it still doesn’t sound promising for a couple of young Minnesota cornerbacks.

The Athletic’s Alec Lewis was on KFAN1003, and he doesn’t see any way Evans could do anything of value for the Vikings in 2024. Booth Jr.? He has even less confidence.

“Like I got to, I’m just speaking from what I’ve seen and what I’ve talked to, people I’ve talked to, like I have zero confidence that Akayleb Evans is going to be really successful as a cornerback this year. I just can’t rely on that at all. Andrew Booth Jr., I feel even worse about”

Booth Jr. is already a cut candidate for the Vikings this offseason. The former second-round pick out of Clemson has never lived up to the hype, and it’s possible it’s his last camp with the Vikings. Evans, on the other hand, played valuable snaps for Minnesota, but he hasn’t been overly impressive either.

PFF places Mekhi Blackmon on 2024 All-Breakout Team

Pro Football Focus named the Vikings corner on its 2024 All-Breakout Team after a solid rookie year last fall.

The Vikings went out and signed Shaq Griffin to compete for a starting job in 2024 alongside Byron Murphy. But Minnesota also has a few younger guys, like Mekhi Blackmon, who are competing for playing time and a larger role.

Pro Football Focus recently released its 2024 All-Breakout Team, and Blackmon was the lone Viking on the list.

The former USC Trojan had a nice rookie campaign, posting a 71.8 PFF coverage grade after joining the Vikings as a third-round draft pick. He allowed just 28 receptions and had a combined nine pass breakups and interceptions from 329 coverage snaps in 2023.

Blackmon played in all 17 games during his rookie season and started three at the corner position. He finished the year with 44 tackles, three tackles for loss, and two sacks.

Blackmon will be battling with Akayleb Evans for that third cornerback role on Brian Flores’ defense. If the Vikings can continue to count on guys like Evans and Blackmon, the Minnesota secondary should be in a good place for years to come.

Studs and duds from Vikings 30-20 loss vs. Lions

Danielle Hunter and Justin Jefferson highlight the final 2023 season of studs and duds

The Minnesota Vikings season ends on a low note with a 30-20 loss to NFC North division rival Detroit Lions.

The game went about as you could have predicted. The Lions offense was able to have their way against a Vikings defense that couldn’t tackle and continuously busted coverages and made mistakes throughout the game.

On offense, the Vikings were able to move the football consistently through the air and even outgained the Lions by 67 yards. Quarterback Nick Mullens kept the Vikings in the game with 396 passing yards but two late interceptions kept the Vikings from finishing the comeback.

In our final rendition of studs and duds for the 2023 season, these stood out like a sore thumb.

Vikings vs. Lions: 4 players to watch in Week 18

From Jordan Addison to Harrison Smith, these are the players to watch on Sunday vs. the Lions

The end of the 2023 NFL season is upon us and Sunday afternoon could spell the end of the Minnesota Vikings season. They only have a 3% chance to make the playoffs after losing their last three games and six of their last seven.

The Vikings had a chance to control their own destiny on multiple occasions but couldn’t make it happen for a myriad of reasons. With the final game coming against a Detroit Lions team that is still raging after feeling screwed against the Dallas Cowboys, their road to the playoffs has become that much more difficult.

Ahead of Sunday’s game, our staff identified four players to watch against the Lions.

Vikings vs. Packers: Defensive PFF grades in 33-10 loss

The PFF grades on defense reflect how poorly the unit played, especially in the tackling department

Dealing with a loss is never fun, but dealing with a loss to your biggest rival is significantly worse, especially when it ends a calendar year.

The Minnesota Vikings are dealing with just that, as they lost to the Green Bay Packers by a score of 33-10. It was a brutal one for multiple reasons and it started with the poor play from the entire team. Pair that with the coaching staff not having this team ready to go and you have a loss that essentially knocked the Vikings out of the playoffs.

Nevertheless, there is still a small modicum of hope for the Vikings to make the playoffs. If they want to make it, they are going to have to show massive improvement.

The Pro Football Focus grades on defense are out and don’t reflect well on what was a really good unit.

4 Vikings players to watch in Week 17 vs. Packers

These players will need a big game if the Vikings want to win on Sunday.

The Minnesota Vikings are a fascinating team to watch the last two weeks of the regular season.

Sitting at 7-8, they no longer control their own destiny for the playoffs, but they are still very much alive for a wild card spot after a 30-24 loss to the Detroit Lions on Sunday afternoon.

That game also saw multiple season-ending injuries, as both tight end T.J. Hockenson and outside linebacker D.J. Wonnum suffered season-ending injuries and were placed on injured reserve earlier this week.

Looking at the Vikings play this season, they are at their best when they don’t turn the ball over and the starts make big plays. These players will need a big game if the Vikings want to win on Sunday.

Kevin O’Connell says Vikings CB Akayleb Evans was removed from game vs. Lions

Evans has a brutal game and ended up being removed

Were you sitting there wondering why rookie practice squad cornerback Jaylin Williams was on the field when he got that illegal contact penalty against the Lions in Week 16? It felt odd, and now we have an answer.

During his media availability after the 30-24 loss to the Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell told reporters that cornerback Akayleb Evans was removed from the game.

It wasn’t a great game from Evans or any of the other Vikings defenders in the secondary. There were multiple times where Evans was beaten badly in coverage and a couple where his tackling effort was less than suspect.

Is this a sign of a trend? Not necessarily. It could just be a bad game from the second-year player who has shown to be a more than capable starting quarterback.

The Vikings are set to play on New Year’s Eve against the Green Bay Packers, and Evans will likely be starting once again, especially with the injury to Mekhi Blackmon.

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