Cornerbacks the Vikings Could Target This Offseason For Brian Flores' Defense
Now that Brian Flores has been secured as their defensive coordinator, the Vikings' focus can shift fully to the personnel phase of the offseason. There might still be an assistant coach change or two ahead, but the primary task for GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, head coach Kevin O'Connell, and their staffs moving forward is to plan out how they're going to improve the Vikings' roster over the next few months.
Landing Flores means Minnesota will be changing defensive schemes for the second time in as many years. And to maximize Flores' aggressive, man-heavy system, the Vikings are going to need upgrades at one of the game's most important positions: cornerback. As of now, before we know what will happen with various expensive veterans on the roster, corner is pretty clearly the team's most pressing need.
All you need to do is look at who's under contract in 2023. The list is Cameron Dantzler, Andrew Booth Jr., and Akayleb Evans, plus a couple practice squad types in Kalon Barnes and Tay Gowan. Dantzler, 24, is entering a contract year after three up-and-down seasons. He has started between 7-10 games every year, losing his starting role at times to players like Bashaud Breeland and Duke Shelley. Booth and Evans, who were drafted last year, started three combined games during injury-riddled rookie seasons.
All three of the Vikings' starters in the second half of the season — Patrick Peterson, Shelley, and Chandon Sullivan — are free agents, as is special teamer Kris Boyd. This team desperately needs more corners for Flores' defense, especially given Dantzler's inconsistency and the health concerns surrounding Booth and Evans. If you're going to run cover zero looks and send heavy pressure, you have to be able to trust your corners.
Here's the good news: There's no shortage of options. Let's go through some names.
Free agency
There will be a lot of buzz around the Vikings taking a cornerback in the first round of April's draft, and we'll get to a bunch of options for the 23rd pick shortly. But in the interest of winning the NFC North for a second consecutive season, the Vikings need veteran help at corner. They can't go just into the season with Dantzler (24), Evans (23), Booth (22), and a first-round pick and expect that to work out. That doesn't mean they won't also take a corner with their top pick, but they need at least one vet who can help right away.
The Vikings don't have any cap space at the moment, but they'll be able to clear plenty of it via trades, restructures, and cuts. That's not an issue for Adofo-Mensah and longtime cap guru Rob Brzezinski. The cap situation does mean they might not choose to outbid other teams on a top free agent corner like James Bradberry or Jamel Dean, though.
Still, there's plenty of depth in this free agent CB class. Here are some names to watch:
- James Bradberry (Eagles)
- Jamel Dean (Buccaneers)
- Cameron Sutton (Steelers)
- Patrick Peterson (Vikings)
- Jonathan Jones (Patriots)
- Byron Murphy Jr. (Cardinals)
- Emmanuel Moseley (49ers)
- Marcus Peters (Ravens)
- Rock Ya-Sin (Raiders)
- Sean Murphy-Bunting (Buccaneers)
- Duke Shelley (Vikings)
- Bradley Roby (Saints)
- Tre Flowers (Bengals)
- Troy Hill (Rams)
- Eli Apple (Bengals)
Peterson seems somewhat unlikely to return given the contract he'll command; a Fangio-style defense that plays a lot of zone seems to suit him better at this stage of his career. Shelley could be brought back, as he had a strong second half and is capable of playing press-man. Jones stands out as someone who has familiarity with Flores from their time together in New England. Sutton, Murphy, and Murphy-Bunting are among those with the flexibility to play in the slot. Murphy's versatility could make him a great pickup. Sutton had a great 2022 season with Flores on the Steelers' staff.
Trade
There will, logically, be speculation surrounding some of the Dolphins' cornerbacks due to Flores' three years as the head coach in Miami. Xavien Howard and Byron Jones are both on big contracts, which complicates the idea of trading for them. Disappointing 2020 first-round pick Noah Igbinoghene could be an intriguing buy-low option, similar to what the Vikings did in acquiring Jalen Reagor and Ross Blacklock last year.
NFL Draft
If the Vikings don't make a significant move at cornerback in the first part of the offseason — which would be surprising — they'll basically be locked into taking one in the first round. But even if they do add a veteran or two, corner will still be one of the most likely positions they address early in the draft. Like pitchers in baseball, you can never have too many cornerbacks. And with Booth and Evans struggling to stay healthy in their first seasons, the Vikings could use another young, building block type of corner.
Luckily for them, this is quite the college cornerback class. There is a ton of depth at the position, from a wave of first-round guys down to potential steals on Day 2 or 3. Flores, who was just down at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, AL, will likely play a big role in helping the Vikings evaluate defensive prospects, including corners.
The Vikings currently have the 23rd overall pick, but as we learned last year, Adofo-Mensah is not shy about moving around in the draft. Here are some players who could be good fits for the Vikings in the first round:
- Christian Gonzalez (Oregon)
- Joey Porter Jr. (Penn State)
- Devon Witherspoon (Illinois)
- Cam Smith (South Carolina)
- Emmanuel Forbes (Mississippi State)
- Deonte Banks (Maryland)
- Kelee Ringo (Georgia)
- Tyrique Stevenson (Miami)
- Clark Phillips III (Utah)
- Kyu Blu Kelly (Stanford)
Gonzalez, Porter, and Witherspoon are currently considered the top three corners in the class, which means the Vikings would likely have to move up to get one. Things can and will change over the next three months, but those three are all projected as top-15 picks right now. The next four — Smith, Forbes, Banks, and Ringo — are among the players most commonly sent to the Vikings in early mock drafts. They all have the physicality and man coverage chops to fit in a Flores defense. Stevenson and Kelly were standouts at the Senior Bowl who could work their way into the first-round conversation.
There's depth in this corner class past the first round, too. The Vikings don't have another pick until their third-round selection at No. 87 overall, but again, they could move around plenty. Here are some Day 2 names to consider, with others likely to emerge after the combine and as the draft gets closer and closer:
- Eli Ricks (Alabama)
- Julius Brents (Kansas State)
- Darius Rush (South Carolina)
- DJ Turner (Michigan)
- Garrett Williams (Syracuse)
- Tre'Vius Hodges-Tomlinson (TCU)
It's a good year to need cornerback help. Who will the Vikings end up with?
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