Vikings select aggressive cornerback in latest TDN mock draft

Getting aggressive players who can play man coverage on the outside will be a priority

The Minnesota Vikings have been mocked 14 different players that can play cornerback so far this year. It’s been a common occurrence because the Vikings only have three cornerbacks on the roster in Cameron Dantzler, Andrew Booth Jr and Akayleb Evans.

Until the Vikings fix the major holes vacated by free agency, it will continue to be a theme. Damian Parson of The Draft Network agrees. He sent the Vikings an aggressive cornerback in Maryland’s Deonte Banks.

“The Vikings’ defensive secondary was not impressive in 2022. This defense needs to take a step forward heading into 2023 to prevent so many one-score affairs. Deonte Banks has the height, weight, and speed to succeed on the perimeter in the NFL. He has the traits to potentially become the Vikings’ CB1 of the future.”

Everything that Parson wrote is true. Banks a physical player on the outside who proved that he could hang with the top receivers in the country. He would be able to compete for a starting job on day one.

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Vikings Mock Draft Roundup 8.0: 44 unique players

The Vikings continue to get mocked new players each week and we are getting close to having 50 unique players

Mock draft season is upon us and that means our mock draft roundup is back!

What we do every week is track the mainstream outlets mock drafts and aggregate how many times a player gets selected. Last season, we tallied up 173 mock drafts and only 10 of them were on offense. This season could end up being much of the same.

We will track them and try to determine trends and patterns, along with giving my own analysis on how they could fit with the Minnesota Vikings.

This week, we have 23 new mock drafts and they are all over the place with what the Vikings are projected to do.

Mock Draft Roundup 7.0

2023 NFL draft film room: Maryland CB Deonte Banks

See for yourself what makes Maryland’s Deonte Banks one of the top cornerback prospects in the 2023 NFL draft class

It’s officially NFL draft season, so it’s time to get to know the best players at every positions in the 2023 class.

What makes Maryland’s Deonte Banks one of this year’s top cornerback prospects?

Watch the tape and see for yourself:

Vikings select aggressive cornerback in Falcons Wire mock

Getting aggressive at the cornerback position could likely be a priority for the Vikings this offseason

The Minnesota Vikings are in a position where they need to add talent at the 23rd overall pick. They could a number of different directions at the end of the first round but the most common one is the cornerback position.

Matt Urben of Falcons Wire agrees that the Vikings need a cornerback as he sent them Maryland cornerback Deonte Banks.

A physical corner, Banks currently ranks as my seventh-best cornerback in the 2023 NFL draft class. Here is what my scouting report says about Banks.

“Banks is an impressive cornerback. The first thing that jumps off the page with him is ball skills. Banks attacks the football with aggression and was trusted to cover top receivers in Marvin Harrison Jr. and Rashee Rice.

Banks can play in both man and zone coverage. In man, he stays in phase with the receiver well and doesn’t leave the hip pocket. Works well in trail. In zone, he understands where he is and can click and close fast on the football.”

Getting a cornerback isn’t a do-or-die scenario for the Vikings at 23, but it would be a good addition for Brian Flores as he reshapes this defense.

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VIDEO — 2023 NFL Draft either/or: Devon Witherspoon or any other cornerback?

Doug Farrar and Luke Easterling were given the choice of Illinois’ Devon Witherspoon, or any other CB draft prospect. The decision was easy for both of them.

Now that the scouting combine is right around the corner, it’s time for Doug Farrar and Luke Easterling to put on their imaginary general manager hats and make some personnel decisions with draft prospects. It’s Either/Or time! In this case, we’re giving Doug and Luke an interesting choice: You can have Illinois cornerback Devin Witherspoon, or every other cornerback in this draft class. Turns out, the decision was pretty easy.

Doug: This seems like a tough one, but it isn’t for me. In the first Top 50 of the 2023 draft season I released last week, I had Witherspoon at CB1 and the fifth-best prospect in this class. I then had Oregon’s Christian Gonzalez at ninth overall, Penn State’s Joey Porter Jr. at 11, South Carolina’s Cam Smith at 23, Alabama’s Brian Branch at 24, Mississippi State’s Emmanuel Forbes at 27, and on and on. There are cornerbacks I need to watch more who could vault up that board by the time 2.0 comes out after the combine, like Maryland’s Deonte Banks, who I have right below the first round at 35th overall.

But here’s one thing I don’t think will change for me between now and the draft: Witherspoon is the best cornerback in this class, and his combination of size, speed, short-area quickness, and smart aggression set him apart. Most taller, lankier cornerbacks don’t have Witherspoon’s ability to adjust to routes in short spaces, and most smaller cornerbacks can’t just erase a receiver like Witherspoon can. In the 2022 season, per Pro Football Focus, he allowed 22 receptions on 63 targets for 206 yards, 71 yards after the catch, no touchdowns, three interceptions, 14 pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 25.0. Which means that a quarterback facing Witherspoon was much better off chucking the ball out of the stadium than targeting him.

It’s a loaded cornerback class with all kinds of skills on display, but yes, I’d take Witherspoon over the field. Without a second thought. He’s my guy if I’m a general manager, because I can build my whole secondary around talent like that.

Luke: When I first dove into Witherspoon’s tape, I really didn’t expect to like him that much more than every other corner in this class, but I did. There just aren’t any flaws, man. He’s big enough, fast enough, twitchy enough, smart enough. He’s got the technique, the instincts, the timing, the toughness. He does everything at such a high level, you’re almost waiting for the catch at some point, but it never comes. My most recent big board had Witherspoon at No. 4 overall, trailing only Will Anderson, Jalen Carter, and Bijan Robinson. I LOVE the top of this corner class, too…I just think Witherspoon is still just that good, though.

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Vikings take physical cornerback in latest Daniel Jeremiah mock draft

The Vikings continue to take cornerbacks in mock drafts

The Minnesota Vikings have a major need at the cornerback position and it has been a very popular pick for them in mock drafts. It’s easy to see why as the Vikings only have three cornerbacks on the roster in Cameron Dantzler, Andrew Booth Jr. and Akayleb Evans.

NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah agrees with that sentiment. In his latest mock draft which was released on Tuesday morning, Jeremiah has the Vikings selecting Maryland cornerback Deonte Banks. He had this to say about the Maryland defender.

“Banks has good size, and I think you’ll see his stock rise as the evaluation process unfolds. The cornerback is physical and tough.”

That sounds like a player that Brian Flores will love. His defense requires cornerbacks to be aggressive at the line of scrimmage and thrive in man coverage. Banks has the ability to do both. This is what I wrote about Banks in his scouting report.

“Banks is an impressive cornerback. The first thing that jumps off the page with him is ball skills. Banks attacks the football with aggression and was trusted to cover top receivers in Marvin Harrison Jr. and Rashee Rice.

Banks can play in both man and zone coverage. In man, he stays in phase with the receiver well and doesn’t leave the hip pocket. Works well in trail. In zone, he understands where he is and can click and close fast on the football.”

Getting Flores some pieces to work with will be a priority this offseason and Banks would just be the start.

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2023 NFL Draft: Tyler Forness’ top 12 cornerbacks

The 2023 NFL Draft is fast approaching and the cornerback class is loaded. @TheRealForno has his top 12 cornerbacks in this class

The 2023 NFL draft is approaching and there is one thing that’s clear.

This cornerback class is insanely deep.

In my initial study, I have written up full scouting reports on 12 cornerbacks and they all received grades of at least 79.0. That is a high third-round grade and 10 of those 12 got second-round grades.

Here is how I have the class currently graded before the NFL combine and athletic testing.

2023 NFL Mock Draft: Kevin Fielder’s mock draft 1.0

With the Super Bowl set in stone, enjoy the latest mock draft from @TheKevinFielder

As the stage gets set for the Super Bowl, the NFL Draft gets an even clearer picture. 30 of 32 teams have turned their focus to the off-season, including the NFL Draft on April 27. With that, understanding how front offices might attack the draft becomes crucial.

Although mock drafts are an imperfect science, they’re perfect for setting the scene. Ultimately, no mock draft in January will be perfect, but they can help paint a picture of what teams need and how they can use the resources available. 

Here at Vikings Wire, we’ll have you covered on the ever-changing NFL Draft landscape. 

 

Vikings select Deonte Banks in latest NFL mock draft from PFF

Banks has become a popular selection for the Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings are in a position to add a talented player at the 23rd overall pick, but which need they will address is going to be a fascinating decision.

They have needs all across the board but the consensus is that cornerback is going to be the most important of them all. The latest mock draft from Pro Football Focus’ Marcus Mosher is in that camp as he has the Vikings selecting Maryland cornerback Deonte Banks.

Here is what Mosher had to say about Banks.

“The Vikings got unbelievable play from Patrick Peterson this year, but they can’t count on that going forward, considering he’ll turn 33 this offseason. Banks is another long, physical cornerback who could be a major value in the second half of Round 1 after missing most of the 2022 season. If he had stayed healthy, he could have easily been a top-10 pick given his ability to play sticky man-to-man coverage.”

Banks was a very fun watch and I gave him a second-round grade. His ball skills will give him the edge early on as he learns how to trust his technique.

Vikings 2023 NFL draft prospect: Maryland CB Deonte Banks

The Terrapins have themselves a stud at cornerback in Deonte Banks. How does he rank as a draft prospect?

Welcome to SKOL Search!

This series will be your guide to the 2023 draft class. From scouting reports to mock drafts and exploring different scenarios, we will be covering the NFL draft and the future of the Minnesota Vikings from all angles.

The focus of the draft class in this space will be on the Vikings’ major needs at wide receiver, running back, cornerback and both interior and edge pass rusher.

The Vikings are slated to have four picks before compensatory selections are awarded and they need to make the most out of them.