Inside The Vikings

Mekhi Blackmon Listed as Vikings' Biggest Impact Player From 2023 Draft

Blackmon has the experience and pedigree to potentially earn an immediate starting role.
Will Ragatz|
Mekhi Blackmon Listed as Vikings' Biggest Impact Player From 2023 Draft
Mekhi Blackmon Listed as Vikings' Biggest Impact Player From 2023 Draft

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Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings selected USC wide receiver Jordan Addison with the 23rd overall pick in this year's draft. 79 slots later, with the final pick of the third round, they chose Addison's teammate during the 2022 season, cornerback Mekhi Blackmon.

Despite the difference in draft position, is it possible that Blackmon could have a bigger immediate impact than Addison? Pro Football Focus thinks so. In their latest power rankings, which have the Vikings as the 14th-best team in the NFL, they listed Blackmon as the team's "biggest impact player" from the 2023 draft.

Minnesota finished 2022 with a 78.4 team coverage grade, ranking 18th in the NFL. With Patrick Peterson, Cameron Dantzler, Duke Shelley and Chandon Sullivan moving on in free agency, they need more depth at cornerback. Their newest cornerback, rookie Mekhi Blackmon, may make an immediate impact. Blackmon played 907 snaps last season, from which he produced a 90.6 PFF grade and allowed a catch on just 47.6% of the passes thrown into his coverage. He missed only two tackles in 2022.

Addison, as a first-round pick, would seem to have the more straightforward path to playing time and production. He replaces Adam Thielen in the Vikings' lineup and will undoubtedly play a lot right away, but he'll have to beat out K.J. Osborn to be the team's No. 2 receiver when they have multiple tight ends or fullback C.J. Ham on the field.

Working in Blackmon's favor is that things are fairly wide open for the Vikings at cornerback. Byron Murphy Jr. will be out there for every snap, but the team needs another outside starter in base and two outside corners when Murphy slides into the slot in nickel packages. Blackmon, a 24-year-old rookie coming off a phenomenal year at USC, will compete with Akayleb Evans, Andrew Booth Jr., and Joejuan Williams for those roles. Given Evans' and Booth's injury histories, it's entirely possible Blackmon could wind up as a Day 1 starter.

The competition should be fun to watch this summer.

Thanks for reading. Make sure to bookmark this site and check back daily for the latest Vikings news and analysis all offseason long. Also, follow me on Twitter and feel free to ask me any questions on there.

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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI, who also covers the Twins, Timberwolves, Gophers, and other Minnesota teams. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.

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