“Offenses may still target the rookie often in his first NFL season, but he should be able to hold his own,” Bleacher Report said about Jeff Gladney.
Cornerback Jeff Gladney, a physical player out of TCU, was chosen by the Vikings, a team that desperately needed corner depth.
Gladney will compete for the starting cornerback spots out wide with the likes of Mike Hughes and Holton Hill.
Bleacher Report predicts that Gladney will earn playing time in his first NFL season, but he will not be a full-time starter. Here’s what Tyler Brooke, who writes about football for the outlet, said:
The Vikings get a cornerback with a tenacious mentality and top-tier competitive toughness. He excels in press-man coverage, and he’s a reliable tackler compared to a lot of the cornerback prospects in this year’s class. While a couple of his pass breakups were dropped interceptions, Gladney does a great job of limiting separation in man coverage and anticipating route concepts.
Brooke went on to say that Gladney will likely be asked to start pretty early in his career, but he will have help in the Vikings secondary. Safeties Anthony Harris and Harrison Smith can provide help up top, and Hill and Hughes are both pretty good when they’re playing.
“Offenses may still target the rookie often in his first NFL season, but he should be able to hold his own,” Bleacher Report said.
The Bears have earned solid grades for their 2020 draft class. But how did NFC North foes the Lions, Packers and Vikings do in the draft?
When it came to the 2020 NFL Draft, most Chicago Bears fans were glued to their televisions and phones, wondering who the team would select with their respective draft picks.
The Bears selected seven draft picks over the weekend and have already received fairly high grades. But what about the other three teams in the NFC North? How did the Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, and Minnesota Vikings do in the draft? Read below to see their complete draft classes and how they made out.
Round 5, Pick #172 – RB Jason Huntley, New Mexico State
Round 6, Pick #197 – DT John Penisini, Utah
Round 7, Pick #235 – DT Jashon Cornell, Ohio State
Analysis: The Lions have been the doormat in the NFC North for quite some time, but their 2020 draft class could be a key factor in their resurgence. They grabbed a pair of Buckeyes with two of their top picks, highlighted by their top selection of Jeff Okudah. The shutdown corner replaces recently-traded cornerback Darius Slay and instantly improves the Detroit secondary under head coach Matt Patricia. Jackson, the other Ohio State player drafted early on, has the opportunity to earn a starting spot on the offensive line.
Other highlights include D’Andre Swift, who should fit nicely with running back Kerryon Johnson, and Julian Okwara, an edge rusher from Notre Dame who slid down draft boards due to injury concerns. While the Lions puzzled some people by doubling up at certain positions during the draft, they clearly improved and addressed a number of needs.
How their draft impacts the Bears: The Lions certainly improved in this draft and could give a few Bears some problems, starting with Okudah. He’ll immediately draw the assignment of covering Bears receiver Allen Robinson. Okudah is extremely talented, but will need to deal with a learning curve. Can he keep up with Robinson? Another tough matchup may include Okwara against the Bears tackles. If healthy, Okwara could give the Lions pass rush a boost against Charles Leno Jr. and Bobby Massie. Finally, Swift will be a mismatch at times against the Bears linebackers as a change-of-pace back.
The Minnesota Vikings landed a confident, physical corner in TCU’s Jeff Gladney
With their second pick in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings selected former TCU cornerback Jeff Gladney. The Vikings needed help in their secondary, and Gladney was deserving of being a first-round pick.
When it comes evaluating cornerbacks, there’s few things an NFL team values more than ball production. With NFL offenses scoring more and more points on what feels like a yearly basis, corners that can get their hands on the ball and force takeaways are hot commodities in today’s climate.
Gladney was a big-time producer at TCU where he posted an astounding 26 pass deflections over his last two seasons alone. Gladney uses his excellent footwork and sticky coverage ability to run with his man throughout the completion of their route, where his instincts and better-than-average arm length gives him a chance to get his hands on the ball. Gladney does a fantastic job attacking the ball at the catch point with an aggressive mindset, and has the production to show for it.
Few corners in this draft class showcase the type of feisty competitiveness that Gladney showed on tape. Gladney’s motor is always running hot, and he has the ability to surprise bigger receivers with just how physical he is. Gladney stands at just 5-10, 191 pounds, but you wouldn’t know it based on his tape.
The Vikings passing defense really struggled last season, and they moved on from Trae Waynes, Mackensie Alexander and Xavier Rhodes in free agency. This is nearly a complete overhaul for the back-end of the Vikings defense, and Gladney has the ability to quickly change the make-up of their cornerback room. He’ll have to prove he can hang with NFL receivers, but Gladney has all the makings of a shut-down corner.
Pro Football Focus thinks Jeff Gladney getting picked by the Vikings might prove to be the best location among first-round corners.
TCU corner Jeff Gladney was the last cornerback taken in the first round of the NFL Draft this year, but he still has a good chance of becoming a starter in 2020.
That’s because of three key departures from the Vikings — Trae Waynes, Xavier Rhodes and Mackensie Alexander. Waynes and Rhodes were starters in 2019 and Alexander was Minnesota’s nickel corner. That means Gladney can possibly come in right away and earn a lot of playing time.
Pro Football Focus likes the match between Gladney and the Vikings, saying that sometimes it’s not about when you go, but where you go. Here’s something else the outlet said:
Gladney joins a Vikings defense that earned PFF’s third-highest coverage grade in 2019 (91.3), and their safety tandem of Anthony Harris (91.6) and Harrison Smith (91.4) — who ranked first and second, respectively, among safeties in PFF coverage grade last year — is the best in the NFL.
Gladney joins a defense that is good but lacks depth at his position. Seems like a good fit if you’re him.
Vikings Wire gave some awards out for the 2020 NFL Draft Class.
Each year Minnesota drafts players who can fulfill spots on the team, but this year, it was different for a number of reasons.
Reason one: There were mass departures in free agency. Minnesota lost both starting cornerbacks, a starting defensive tackle and plenty of other key players. Given the Vikings’ lack of cap space, this draft became crucial for adding talent.
Reason two: The Vikings had 15 picks. The team traded wide receiver Stefon Diggs for draft picks, and the team ended up with a record-breaking total for a seven-round NFL Draft.
All that pointed to this draft being an interesting one when Vikings fans look back at the Mike Zimmer-Rick Spielman era. Vikings Wire decided to give out early rewards for this draft class, predicting how the players will do down the road.
Here they are:
Most likely to succeed: Jeff Gladney
Photo: Kevin Abele/Icon Sportswire)
Cornerback Jeff Gladney gets the nod for the most likely to find success in Minnesota. He beats out fellow Vikings first-round pick Justin Jefferson.
Jefferson could very well be a strong candidate to find success, but it’s not as much of a given as it is with Gladney. The cornerback enters into a system with depth at corner, and two of the best safeties in the league.
Based on draft history, the team also values the corner position quite a bit, and the Vikings have been good about finding talent at that position in the draft. It’s hard to see Gladney, a physical corner playing in a Zimmer-led defense, not have a decent 2020.
Even with the inexperience among the group, cornerback whisperer and head coach Mike Zimmer has confidence in the group.
The Vikings went through a makeover at the cornerback position this offseason.
Out is Xavier Rhodes (Colts), Trae Waynes (Bengals) and Mackensie Alexander (Bengals).
The team will rely on Mike Hughes, Holton Hill and Kris Boyd, along with rookies Jeff Gladney and Cameron Dantzler.
Even with the inexperience among the group, cornerback whisperer and head coach Mike Zimmer has confidence in the group.
“I feel good about them,” Zimmer said via the Pioneer Press. “Gladney is a tough, competitive guy. Cameron Danzler is a big, tall, long guy that really has some unique skills. So, now we’re starting to add five or six guys in there that have opportunities to go in and play. Let them fight it out and find out who can learn the fastest and wants to be the best competitor.”
The good news for the Vikings is that it will be hard for the team to be much worse in the defensive backfield than last season. The hope is that this younger group will learn quickly under Zimmer, although there will certaintly be some bumps along the way.
Cornerback Jeff Gladney is tied with Kristian Fulton and Antoine Winfield Jr. for the 14th best odds of winning Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Cornerback Jeff Gladney was taken by the Vikings after the team traded back to No. 31.
Gladney, a physically imposing player out of TCU, has a chance to come in and start on Minnesota’s defense right away.
That’s because the team has seen its share of offseason departures. Cornerbacks Trae Waynes and Xavier Rhodes, both of whom were starters in 2019, signed with other teams in free agency. Vikings nickel corner, Mackensie Alexander, also signed with a different team.
There are several openings in the secondary, which gives Gladney good odds of making an impact as a rookie. BetMGM has Gladney at +4,000 to win Defensive Rookie of the Year. He is tied for 14th in odds, with defensive backs Kristian Fulton and Antoine Winfield Jr.
Gladney will have to compete for playing time with the likes of Holton Hill and Mike Hughes. Those two have struggled to consistently stay on the field for the Vikings, but they have been good at times when with the team.
Check out the jersey numbers of Vikings rookies and recent signings!
It’s been an eventful offseason for Minnesota so far. The team has seen plenty of talent sign elsewhere, but they’ve also added players in the form of free agency signings and draft picks.
There will almost certainly be some new faces on the field for the Vikings in 2020, so here’s a list of some of the newer players, and their corresponding numbers, according to the Vikings’ official website.
Draft guru Mel Kiper handed out his post-draft grades over at ESPN and gave the Vikings an A- grade.
What a draft it was for the Minnesota Vikings.
The Vikings drafted an NFL-record 15 players. Surely, it will be difficult for all of those players to make the team, but landing players like Justin Jefferson, Jeff Gladney, Ezra Cleveland and Cameron Dantzler not only filled positions of need, but should be players who can help Mike Zimmer’s squad right away.
Draft guru Mel Kiper handed out his post-draft grades over at ESPN and gave the Vikings an A- grade.
Here’ a bit of what Kiper wrote about the Vikings:
Minnesota came into Thursday night with 12 picks and ended Saturday night with 15 picks, plus an extra fourth-rounder and two extra fifth-round picks in the 2021 draft. With that much capital, it takes a lot not to get an A from me. And really, I like the value the Vikings got throughout, starting with extracting a first-round pick for wide receiver Stefon Diggs, who was disgruntled in Minnesota.
For me, to add those four players listed above and to come away with three mid-round picks for next year is huge.
Of course, a grade now doesn’t mean a whole lot. These players need to perform and they’ll certainly get that opportunity in Minnesota. But it is good for Vikings’ fans to see that most draft experts agree that Rick Spielman and his crew did a very solid job.
