As we were heading into the rookie minicamp, cornerback was viewed as a position that needed a breakout candidate or two to be viable in winning for the Minnesota Vikings. The position group was a mixture of mid-round draft picks and veterans on cheap contracts with the hope that a few would outperform their status and contribute more than they expected.
With the amount of options the Vikings had at the time of the rookie minicamp, there was a viable chance they could find some options, but those plans have taken a drastic turn.
The tragic death of Khyree Jackson and the ACL tear of Mekhi Blackmon on the first day of training camp has created a sad feeling in Minnesota. While the Vikings have the memory of Jackson in their minds, the sobering reality of having to replace him also has to be on their minds. Both Jackson and Blackmon were going to see possibly starting-level snaps, and now they will have to be replaced either by someone rostered currently or coming in from another team.
What’s Next for the Minnesota Vikings at Cornerback?
Byron Murphy Jr.
Byron Murphy Jr. gets his category on this list because he’s the only one on the roster who has played at a starting-caliber level for a full season. The plan was to put him in the nickel where he’s best, but the pressing need for outside corners again forces the hand of the defense, so he’ll be starting outside again. He was hot and cold throughout 2023, but he gives the Vikings a legit corner that can at least hold his own.
Shaquill Griffin
After starting in Houston and being cut after not getting much playing time, he was picked up in Carolina and finished the season before signing a one-year deal to compete for a starting job in Minnesota during free agency. The most experienced corner of the group, Griffin has started in 79 games since being drafted in 2017. When he’s been on the field, he’s shown the ability to play at a high level for a long time. But the Vikings will be his 4th team since March of 2023. Injuries and being outplayed have contributed to this, but he’s the favorite to start opposite Murphy in week one in New York.
Shaquill Griffin has been a significantly more effective defender in coverage when aligned in press coverage over the course of his career.
Griffin Coverage Success Rate by Pre-Snap Cushion
🔹 Press (< 3 yards): 59.5% (15th out of 64 DB)
🔹 3+ yards: 43.0% (62nd out of 64 DB) pic.twitter.com/EV8FANtf7l— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) March 16, 2021
Akayleb Evans
There hasn’t been a player on this roster that’s had both the highs and lows Akayleb Evans has had. He started 2023 playing the best of his young career in purple and finished it benched after struggling in the final games of the year. Evans is talented enough to be the week one starter and would have to beat Shaquill Griffin, but it’s an uphill battle considering he isn’t viewed in the greatest of graces by Brian Flores and staff. Whether starting or not, he’ll almost certainly see important playing time as it stands now.
Akayleb Evans hit stick on Michael Thomas forces an incompletion pic.twitter.com/kzh3tTHBaC
— Will Ragatz (@WillRagatz) November 12, 2023
Duke Shelley
The 2022 Vikings defense was one of the worst in the NFL, and fans were looking for any sign of life from someone who would give it to them. Most fans heard of Duke Shelley for the first time in Buffalo when the Vikings won what can only be best described as a fever dream of a football game. From that game on, Shelley made plays in every game he played in and quickly became a fan favorite coming truly out of nowhere. One day he showed up, the next he was in the most important game of the year.
After a year of being on a couple of rosters, he’s back in Minnesota and looking to rekindle that magic he had just a few years ago. He won’t be a betting man’s favorite to start as he isn’t the perfect player. He’s undersized as an outside corner and not quick enough to play inside consistently. But when the right player meets the right timing, anything can happen.
Welcome back, Duke!
The #Vikings have signed @DukeSaysGo. pic.twitter.com/sreLTbyt88
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) July 23, 2024
Andrew Booth Jr.
“Luck is when preparation meets opportunity.” This quote may not be as befitting to someone as much as it is for Andrew Booth Jr. Between playing poorly in the preseason and being injured too much, Booth has had a rough start to his career. At the end of 2023, he played the best he ever had but in a minimal role. He’s one of the first picks of the Kwesi Adofo Mensah and has a real chance to be the saving grace of the 2022 draft class. Booth will get run in the preseason which will be very telling as he enters his third year, which is the year where most players break out. If it doesn’t happen now, odds are it never will, and the opportunity is there for someone exactly like Booth.
RD 2 | PK 42 – Vikings: Andrew Booth Jr. CB, Clemson
Booth checks every box when it comes to the numbers as the only CB in this year's class with an 80-80-80 production, athleticism, overall score. The four CB to qualify from the 2021 class? Horn, Surtain II, Newsome, Samuel Jr. pic.twitter.com/lhUTI3d4R7
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) April 30, 2022
Main Photo: Bob Self/Florida Times-Union-USA TODAY NETWORK
