Geography Played a Role in the Vikings Taking a Risk on Jeff Gladney

The Vikings are hoping that Jeff Gladney can follow in the footsteps of Dalvin Cook. The two don't share a position or even play on the same side of the ball, but what they have in common is that "character concerns" were a part of their narrative throughout the draft process.

Back in 2017, Cook had several off-the-field red flags that caused him to fall to the second round despite undeniable talent. Three years later, he hasn't caused a single problem; Cook has been a model teammate and member of the community, and has flourished with the Vikings.

One reason for Cook's success may have been the fact that he left his home state – Cook grew up in Miami and played college football at Florida State – and moved almost 2,000 miles north to the Twin Cities to start fresh.

The Vikings think Gladney can do the same, SI's Albert Breer said in his weekly MMQB column. The former TCU cornerback's red flags weren't as pronounced or well-known as Cook's, but they were a part of his evaluation. A move from Texas up to Minnesota might be good for getting Gladney away from trouble and into a new environment.

I always think it’s interesting to look into why teams take risks. Which brings me to the second of the Vikings’ first-round picks, Jeff Gladney. The Vikings were able to pick up an extra fourth-rounder to move down from 25 to 31, which better positioned them to roll the dice on Gladney, who’d had some issues (failed drug tests were part of it) at TCU.

One reason they felt OK? Geography. The hope is that getting Gladney (who they believe is a good kid) out of Texas and bringing him to Minneapolis will force him to grow up a little bit, the same way such a move from Florida led Dalvin Cook getting past some of the trouble around him at Florida State. Will it work? We’ll see. But it’s clear the Vikings believe they can create the right kind of environment for guys like Gladney.

The Vikings don't have a flawless track record with players staying out of trouble in recent years; Florida native Jayron Kearse was arrested for DWI and carrying a gun without a permit last October. Still, the Mike Zimmer regime has drastically changed the perception of the Vikings in that regard. In the 2000s and early 2010s, they led the NFL in arrests and constantly had players getting in all sorts of trouble off of the field. That's no longer the case, which is a testament to the culture Zimmer and Rick Spielman have established.

Check out the rest of Breer's information-packed column right here.

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