NFL Draft 2015: Trae Waynes the Wrong Pick?

The first round of the 2015 NFL Draft has now concluded and there is a new Viking. Unlike the last three years in which the Minnesota Vikings made at least 2 selections in each first round, this year there was only one selection made. That selection was cornerback Trae Waynes out of Michigan State.

My Reaction: 

Apr 30, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Trae Waynes (Michigan State) is selected as the number eleven overall pick to the Minnesota Vikings in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

This was definitely not the best selection in my book. With names like Alvin “Bud” Dupree, Randy Gregory (Who completely fell out of the first round) and DeVante Parker still on the board, there were a number of players whom I rated higher than Waynes, who came in at number 18 on my final big board. In fact, Waynes wasn’t even my highest rated corner available. That title goes to Marcus Peters, who eventually ended up going 18th overall to the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Good and the Bad:

While Waynes is still certainly a good cornerback, he doesn’t possess all of the traits that you would look for in the ideal cornerback. For starters, he has tight hips. This was hidden at Michigan State as he played a lot of zone defense and didn’t cover many in-breaking routes which allowed him to focus on what he does well, which is cover curls and go routes. On these routes, he did a great job. He is able to sit on curl routes well due to his 4.31 40 yard dash time and dare the receiver to try and run by him. He also possesses good ball skills and has the rare cornerback trait that allows him to find the ball and react in the blink of an eye, which is a very useful tool for a cornerback. At times, Waynes shows a good ability to cover slant routes which is a good indication that he may be able to overcome his lack of quickness, although he is often beaten as well on post routes. The problem in evaluating this part of his game is that there simply isn’t a huge sample size, so making a final verdict is a bit tough.

Round 2 Preview: 

After a round 1 that featured plenty of surprises such as Tennessee staying put and drafting Mariota, the Rams drafting Todd Gurley with the 10th overall pick and Randy Gregory completely falling out of the first round, the second round looks to be full of action and feature plenty of big-time picks. A few players still on the board who will bring tremendous upside to whoever decides to pull the trigger are Randy Gregory, Eric Kendricks, Dorial Green-Beckham, Eli Harold and Landon Collins.

Thank you all for reading. Personally, I am hoping that the second round goes better than the first, but I am aware that plenty of Vikings fans are ecstatic with this pick. Be sure to comment your opinions below and don’t forget to follow me on twitter @jackmack28.