{"id":98319,"date":"2020-11-20T13:46:37","date_gmt":"2020-11-20T18:46:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=98319"},"modified":"2020-11-20T13:46:37","modified_gmt":"2020-11-20T18:46:37","slug":"kris-boyd-sophomore-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2020\/11\/20\/kris-boyd-sophomore-season\/","title":{"rendered":"Kris Boyd Having a Strong Sophomore Season"},"content":{"rendered":"

Before the season began, I wrote about<\/a> the opportunity for Kris Boyd<\/a><\/strong>. The Minnesota Vikings<\/a> were losing Xavier Rhodes<\/a><\/strong>, Trae Waynes<\/a><\/strong>, and Mackensie Alexander<\/a><\/strong>, so there was ample opportunity for Minnesota\u2019s young corners. Initially, Mike Hughes<\/a><\/strong> and Holton Hill<\/a><\/strong> were the starters, but they are both on the IR. Cameron Dantzler<\/a><\/strong> is also hurt, so the Vikings are understandably thin at one of football\u2019s most important positions. Boyd is thus seeing plenty of snaps on defense, and he is showing that he is capable of being a good option for Mike<\/strong> Zimmer<\/strong>\u2019s secondary.<\/p>\n

Kris Boyd and His Sophomore Season<\/h2>\n

Boyd didn\u2019t earn very much playing time to start the season. Injuries have opened an opportunity, though, and Boyd is making the most of his chance. On Monday night, Boyd was Minnesota\u2019s fifth-highest rated defensive player, per PFF<\/a>. Overall, Boyd is PFF\u2019s 45th best corner, a notable feat considering that he is a seventh-round sophomore who began as Minnesota\u2019s fifth corner on the depth chart.<\/p>\n

In the video below, you\u2019ll see Boyd and rookie first-round pick Jeff Gladney<\/a><\/strong> doing a nice job of communicating before the snap. That kind of communication comes from reps. It\u2019s hard to make those plays if you spend most of your time on the bench.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/twitter.com\/LukeBraunNFL\/status\/1326245674271166464<\/p>\n

He has long had a reputation for being a physical player<\/a>. Against the Chicago Bears<\/a>, Boyd demonstrated his physicality and competitiveness at numerous points. At times, this aggressiveness gets Boyd in trouble. Detroit Lions<\/a> wide receiver Marvin Jones<\/a><\/strong> scored a touchdown against the Vikings, largely because of Boyd over-pursuing his man. Boyd should have been working towards Jones\u2019 inside hip; instead, Boyd went too fast as he pursued Jones\u2019 outside hip. The end result was a nifty move from the perpetually-underrated Jones that left Boyd completely out of the play<\/a> (take a look at the highlights just after the 5:15 mark).<\/p>\n

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This was such a nice play by Kris Boyd to basically make Anthony Miller tackle his own teammate. https:\/\/t.co\/J6YokOadxk<\/a><\/p>\n

— Chad Graff (@ChadGraff) November 17, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n