Tag: Mike Hughes

PFF says Vikings CB Mike Hughes needs a strong training camp

Will Hughes be the top cornerback for the Vikings in 2020?

Sam Monson over at Pro Football Focus put together a list of players who need to have a strong training camp in order to earn a bigger role in 2020 for their respective teams.

Vikings cornerback Mike Hughes, who is suddenly the best cornerback on the team, is on the list.

Here’s a bit of what Monson wrote about Hughes:

The entire Vikings cornerback depth chart is a free-for-all, but Hughes likely has the inside track to being their No. 1 guy if he can have a strong camp and show he is indeed a first-round talent. If he can’t improve on back-to-back PFF coverage grades of around 60.0, though, he could find himself slipping to a nickel corner role or even further if the rookies hit the ground running.

The Vikings’ cornerback group will certainly be an interesting one to watch in 2020. While Hughes is the favorite to win the top cornerback spot, he’s not good enough where we should expect him to win the job. Maybe that will be Jeff Gladney or Holton Hill.

In Mike Zimmer we trust.

The Vikings’ young corners will be just fine

Don’t worry, Vikings fans. Despite the offseason losses, the Vikings might have upgraded at cornerback for 2020.

Minnesota lost two starters out wide, Xavier Rhodes and Trae Waynes, in addition to the team’s nickel corner from 2019, Mackensie Alexander.

That might add up to trouble in 2020 for some teams, but honestly those three as a unit left something to be desired, something that maybe the younger, more inexperienced cornerbacks can build off of.

There’s Rhodes, who had zero interceptions last season. Picks don’t tell the whole story, so let’s look at advanced stats. He earned a coverage grade of 46.5 last season, according to PFF.

There’s also Waynes, who was decent, but only had eight pass deflections and one interception. He earned an overall grade of 65.1 from PFF.

Now let’s look at Alexander. I’d say of the three corners the Vikings let walk, he might have been the best, despite being the nickel corner. Earlier I made the case for the Vikings to re-sign him, but to no avail; he’s gone.

Alexander was a good nickel corner, but the Vikings have a first-round pick who could possibly play that position: Jeff Gladney. He was the No. 31 overall pick out of TCU. He is a physical corner who might be a good fit for the slot due to his strength and relatively small size.

There’s also Mike Hughes and Holton Hill, both of whom have had their question marks at times, but both have also been good when on the field. If Hughes can stay healthy and Hill can play all 16 games, I actually kind of like Minnesota’s chances of having a better cornerback unit than in 2019.

Cameron Dantzler is another corner. He may be more of a project due to his weight. But you never know, maybe he’s able to put on some pounds this offseason and be big enough to play outside.

You also can’t forget about the Vikings having two of the best safeties in the NFL: Harrison Smith and Anthony Harris. That duo can minimize mistakes the young corners make, and maybe Smith will play back deep more now that the cornerbacks are a little less experienced.

Overall, there are definitely unknowns regarding this current Vikings secondary, but those unknowns could prove to be an upgrade over Rhodes and Waynes, two players who were inconsistent while with the Vikings.

Poll: Do you think the Vikings corners will be better, the same or worse?

Poll: Do you think the Vikings corners will be better, the same or worse?

Minnesota has had some turnover this offseason at cornerback, but whether that’s a good or bad thing still remains to be seen.

The Vikings saw Trae Waynes, Xavier Rhodes and Mackensie Alexander leave. However, the team still returns players such as Mike Hughes, Holton Hill and Kris Boyd.

Not only that, but the Vikings took Jeff Gladney, Cameron Dantzler and Harrison Hand in the draft. I think at least Gladney and Dantzler could possibly compete and win starting positions outside in 2020. But will they be better than the unit that featured Waynes, Rhodes and Alexander in 2019?

Many have suggested that the Vikings cornerback corps could actually be better than it was before, considering Rhodes’ lackluster play towards the end of his time with the Vikings.

There’s also a possibility that the corners aren’t experienced enough to succeed in huge roles right away.

Vikings fans, what do you think?

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Vikings’ turnover in the secondary listed as the team’s riskiest move

Bleacher Report thinks Minnesota is taking a risk with its defensive backs. Do you agree?

Minnesota had inconsistent cornerback play in 2019. With some of those veterans leaving, will the Vikings get worse at that position?

Bleacher Report thinks Minnesota is taking a risk with its defensive backs. A high turnover rate among the defensive back corps might come back to haunt Minnesota. Here’s what the outlet said about the Vikings:

“The Minnesota Vikings were a playoff team last year, but the pass defense was only average: 15th in the NFL at 233.6 yards per game.

Even that benchmark may be hard for the Vikings to hit in 2020.

Losing players in free agency is an annual event for all 32 teams. But this year was especially rough for the Vikings in the secondary. After a down 2019, the Vikings released veteran cornerback Xavier Rhodes, and Trae Waynes and Mackensie Alexander both signed with the Cincinnati Bengals.

That’s the Vikings’ top three cornerbacks from 2019—gone, gone and gone.

The Vikings didn’t sit on their hands at the cornerback position; the team traded back to draft TCU’s Jeff Gladney 31st overall and took Cameron Dantzler in the third round.

But there’s going to be a tremendous amount of pressure on an unproven Vikings secondary to grow up in a hurry if Minnesota is going to get back in the postseason in 2020.”

Alexander and Waynes are decent losses and it might be too much to expect Gladney to start out wide right away. That said, the Vikings letting Rhodes go could lead to an upgrade at that spot.

Vikings cornerback Mike Hughes listed as a prove-it player for 2020

Let’s see what Vikings cornerback Mike Hughes can do in 2020

The Vikings drafted Mike Hughes in the first round of the 2018 draft, and this will be the first year where he will really have to live up to that pick.

Hughes has filled out a reserve role, starting certain games throughout his NFL career. But now two mainstay corners — Xavier Rhodes and Trae Waynes — have both signed elsewhere.

Same with Mackensie Alexander, who was Minnesota’s nickel corner in 2019.

More will be expected of Hughes next season, and Pro Football Focus has taken notice. The outlet listed him as a player who will have to prove it in 2020. Here’s what they said:

“They will now rely on Hughes to not just be a full-time starter in 2020, but to also play well and keep that unit’s head above water. Over his NFL career, he has allowed a passer rating of 99.0 when targeted and given up a catch on 66.7% of the passes thrown his way, surrendering five touchdowns on 93 targets. Those numbers need to improve.”

I think if Hughes can stay healthy, and Holton Hill rises to the occasion, the young Vikings corners will be just fine.

Three unsung heroes on the Vikings

The Vikings have a lot of stars, but there are also some key players who don’t always garner accolades and recognition.

From wide receiver Adam Thielen to safety Harrison Smith, there are plenty of Vikings players who garner recognition from fans and experts across the NFL.

However, there are also some key contributors on the Vikings who maybe don’t get the credit that some of the stars do.

This is a list dedicated to those players. Vikings Wire compiled a list of the three unsung heroes on the roster headed into 2020.

Whether it’s thriving on special teams or doing the work that doesn’t always show up on the stat sheet, here are some members of the Vikings who are underrated when it comes to national recognition:

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Minnesota Vikings roster analysis: Three storylines surrounding the cornerbacks

It’s a young group. It’s a new group, but that does not necessarily mean it’s a worse group. Take a look at three storylines surrounding the Vikings cornerbacks.

What the Vikings have lost in veteran talent at cornerback, they’ve gained in rookies who have the potential to be just as good.

Xavier Rhodes signed with the Colts this offseason. In 2019, Rhodes had no picks and made six pass deflections. He earned a coverage grade of 46.5 last season.

Trae Waynes will arguably be the most difficult corner to replace, but even he wasn’t stellar for the Vikings. Waynes had eight pass deflections and one interception. He earned an overall grade of 65.1 from PFF.

There’s also Mackensie Alexander, the team’s nickel corner from 2019. Alexander signed with the Bengals, the same team as Waynes.

Alexander is coming off a season where he had five pass deflections and an interception in a slightly more limited role than Rhodes and Waynes. PFF reported that Alexander was the only defensive back to play more than 500 snaps in 2019-20 and never miss a tackle. The outlet gave Alexander an overall score of 65.7.

Waynes and Alexander were both decent, but there’s a chance that whomever is playing corner for the Vikings in 2020 is better. Here are three storylines surrounding the position group:

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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.

POLL: Who do you think will be the most-improved Vikings player in 2020?

Who do you think will be the most-improved player on the Vikings for 2020? Vote in the article!

Minnesota found success in 2019, but there are still plenty of players who could improve.

There are players who might improve by earning bigger roles, such as Mike Hughes and Ifeadi Odenigbo.

There are also some players who could find statistical production of year’s past, such as Anthony Barr and Riley Reiff.

Not only that, but there are players who could go from pretty good to great, such as Kirk Cousins and Kyle Rudolph.

Linebacker Eric Kendricks was picked as Vikings’ most-improved player by Pro Football Focus this season.

Below are some possible candidates who could be the most-improved on the Vikings. So, Vikings fans, what will it be? Who do you think the team’s most improved player will be in 2020?

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B/R predicts Mike Hughes as a possible breakout player for Vikings in 2020

Do you think Mike Hughes will have a breakout year for the Vikings in 2020?

After the departures of Xavier Rhodes and Trae Waynes in free agency this offseason, Mike Hughes has a chance to earn a starting cornerback spot out wide. If he does, that bodes well for his odds of putting up better stats for the Vikings.

Bleacher Report predicted that Hughes will be a breakout candidate in 2020. Here’s what the outlet said about Hughes:

“Hughes has shown flashes of star power at times—in his first career game he returned an errant Jimmy Garoppolo pass for a touchdown. But he suffered an ACL tear in 2018 and a neck injury last year that caused him to miss Minnesota’s playoff games.

If the Vikings are going to play deep into January this season, Minnesota needs a healthy Hughes to play like the stud he was at the University of Central Florida.”

Hughes odds of being a bigger part of the Vikings’ defense next season are very good, so long as he can stay healthy.

Previously this offseason, Bleacher Report predicted that running back Mike Boone will be a breakout candidate for Minnesota in 2020.