The NFL Combine just wrapped up, and the Minnesota Vikings now have a better evaluation of some prospects they may be interested in taking in April’s NFL Draft. While the Vikings have a lot of holes on their roster, the main one that comes up quite frequently is cornerback,
On Monday, Doug Farrar of CBS Sports released his latest mock draft and had the Vikings selecting South Carolina cornerback Cam Smith.
“If you want to lay eyes on a cornerback-light team, look no further than the Vikings, whose corners were burned all over the field in 2022. New defensive coordinator Brian Flores historically loves to mix his gutsy man coverages with all kinds of blitz packages, and if you want to do that, you’d better have defensive backs who do well on true islands. Last season, Smith — the hyper-aggressive and technique-sound South Carolina star — allowed just seven catches on 23 targets for 53 yards in man coverage, so Flores could check off at least one of his glaring needs with confidence if this is how the draft went.”
Smith would certainly help this Vikings secondary, and his physical play style is something that this defense desperately lacked in 2022. With the right coaching, Smith could be a cornerstone cornerback for the next decade.
Later in the 3rd round of this mock draft, Farrar had the Vikings finding a potential Kirk Cousins successor., selecting Stanford quarterback Tanner McKee.
McKee is an interesting pickup for the Vikings late in day two. While McKee isn’t a flashy name, there is hope that head coach Kevin O’Connell can help develop him into something. Best case scenario: he eventually replaces Cousins. Worst-case scenario, you’re still left searching for a quarterback of the future.
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