The Minnesota Vikings were very serious about upgrading their secondary. They proved that when they selected Michigan State cornerback Trae Waynes with the number eleven overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. Like any rookie, Waynes will need to adjust his game to the NFL level and get up to speed.
Recently, the folks over at ESPN spoke with Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer about how things are coming along for Trae Waynes during rookie camp and OTAs. Here’s what he had to say:
"“He’s still thinking, the alignments and a lot of detail stuff that he’s got to continue to improve at and there’s a lot of things he has to work at, but he is very sincere about trying to get better every day,” Zimmer said. “He’s kind of a quiet kid. Kind of like [quarterback] Teddy [Bridgewater] was last year; the more comfortable he gets, the more assertive he will be in a lot of different ways.”"
There was a lot of concern about Bridgewater being a quiet guy when he came to the Vikings, but part of that could be that the jump to the NFL is likely overwhelming. It’s so early in the offseason that expecting Trae Waynes to be vocal and confident in his role would be a bit much. But hearing that Waynes is putting in the effort each day to improve is reassuring.
"“He’s got work to do, like all young guys do, like all of the guys do,” Zimmer said. “He shows flashes of really good stuff.”"
Feb 23, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Michigan State Spartans defensive back Trae Waynes runs with the ball in a workout drill during the 2015 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
And that’s all Vikings fans should hope for. The team and the fan base will be counting on Trae Waynes to come in and improve the Minnesota secondary very early on. Rookies will make mistakes and it will take time to adjust. Fans saw that with Xavier Rhodes in his rookie year when it took him several games to look comfortable on the outside and find out what he can and can’t get away with physically as an NFL cornerback.
I expect the same kind of growth and development that the team saw from Rhodes to happen with Waynes as well. If that can happen, Minnesota’s pass defense might continue to improve until the high-powered passing offenses in the NFC North begin to regret seeing the Vikings twice a year.
But I’m getting ahead of myself. For now, let’s just sit back and enjoy watch a talented young player hopefully evolve into an impact player for the Vikings.
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