Is Mackensie Alexander ready for a starting role with the Minnesota Vikings?

Mackensie Alexander appears to be first in line for nickel corner role with the Minnesota Vikings for the 2017 season, but is he ready to take on the job?

Following the departure of talented slot cornerback Captain Munnerlyn, many expected the Minnesota Vikings to pursue a replacement in free agency. So far, the Vikings haven’t done that, however, leaving second-year pro Mackensie Alexander in perfect position to step into the role.

Mike Zimmer confirmed as much in a recent interview on KFAN, telling Paul Allen that Alexander will get first crack at the position.

"“What he does with it is up to him,” Zimmer quickly added."

Zimmer’s comments beg the question: is Mackensie Alexander really ready to take over such a substantial role? The Vikings used their nickel defense the majority of the time last year, with Captain Munnerlyn playing over 61.5% of the team’s defensive snaps. Alexander played just 6.5% of the team’s defensive snaps last year, so the role would mark a drastic increase in playing time for him.

Given how little Alexander played last year, it’s difficult to make any definitive conclusions about his skill-set, but the feisty cornerback certainly struggled as a rookie.

The 5’10”, 192-pound cornerback had difficulty adjusting to the physicality of the league, frequently getting pushed out of position and resorting to holding to stay with the play. Alexander’s play in Minnesota’s first matchup against the Detroit Lions is perhaps most indicative of this fact.

In the second quarter, with the Lions on the Vikings’ two-yard line, veteran wideout Anquan Boldin got outside of Alexander on a flat route, causing the young cornerback to respond with an egregious holding penalty to prevent the touchdown. On the very next play, Boldin ran the same exact route. Again, the veteran muscled right past Alexander, this time catching the easy touchdown to give the Lions a 10-3 lead.

Moments like those sporadically marked Mackensie Alexander’s rookie season, but given his inexperience and the small sample size, it’s nothing to panic about. While Alexander had a less-than-ideal adjustment to the quickness and physicality of the NFL in his first year, he should have every opportunity to take a step forward in his development this year.

Mackensie Alexander clearly has the tools to be a force in the league. With outstanding quickness and instincts, Alexander was one of the best cornerbacks in the country during his last year at Clemson, allowing an incredibly low 29.6 completion percentage and 0 touchdowns on passes thrown his way, per NFL.com. If he can settle into the NFL, we could start seeing that lockdown corner once again.

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"“He’s a young guy,” Zimmer said about Mackensie Alexander at the Combine. “He’s kind of, what’s the best way to say this. He’s kind of a guy that has a ton of talent. I think he’s a good kid. He just needs to be more consistent with everything.” (via Star Tribune)"

Zimmer went on to list specific areas where Alexander needs to improve to seize the opportunity ahead of him.

"“Understand his assignments better. Understand the NFL rules better in pass coverage and things like that. It’s really just those things. Be consistent.’’ (via Star Tribune)"

Essentially, Alexander simply needs to acclimate to the league, as all young players have to do. With the coaching of Mike Zimmer, one of the most widely respected defensive back experts in the NFL, it seems like a safe bet that Alexander will come around sooner rather that later.

Next: Minnesota Vikings 2017 positional evaluation: Quarterbacks

It remains to be seen if the Minnesota Vikings add another cornerback in free agency or the draft, but for now the team appears to have a lot of faith in Mackensie Alexander to shake off his rookie mistakes and step into a substantial role.