"With the 199th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings select K.D. Cannon, wide receiver,Baylor."
The former Baylor receiver has plenty of speed, as he is a former Texas high school track state champion in the 100 meter dash (10.32). Track speed doesn’t always mean that it translates to the playing field, but it is easy to see that Cannon is playing at a different speed than his competition. There is no doubt that Cannon is a vertical threat.
Target profile for KD Cannon:
— PFF College (@PFF_College) March 23, 2017
40% hitches
23% go routes
18% screens
Lined up wide right on 85% of snaps in 2016.https://t.co/tpzDtS6MAV
As is widely known with most Baylor receivers, their route trees are limited. Only primarily running vertical routes or perimeter screens, there will be questions about what routes Cannon can run. He also is not a natural pass catcher. He has a tendency of letting balls get into his body frequently and double catching it.
With breakout seasons from Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs, the team still lacks a true deep threat receiver that can consistently blow the top off of the defense. In Baylor’s offensive scheme, Cannon had plenty of experience in doing that, as he had 535 receiving yards on passes that were at least 20 yards down the field.
Bringing Cannon’s natural vertical ability to the equation potentially open things up in the intermediate areas for Diggs, Thielen and Rudolph in the passing game, while also keeping teams honest by honoring Cannon’s speed.