Antone Exum trying out nickel cornerback for Minnesota Vikings
By Adam Carlson
Antone Exum has been fighting for a safety spot for several seasons but the Minnesota Vikings are trying him at the nickel corner spot in training camp.
When the Minnesota Vikings drafted safety Antone Exum in the sixth round of the 2014 NFL Draft, the team was hoping to find a diamond in the rough to develop and hopefully become a starter one day.
However, plans often change as players and teams do. While Exum is remaining a defensive back, the Vikings are trying him out in a new position during training camp in Mankato, Minnesota this season: nickel cornerback.
This experiment was announced on the official Vikings website, where it was revealed that the former Virginia Tech player worked at safety and nickel corner during Monday’s drills.
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Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer discussed the decision to try Exum at nickel corner during a meeting with the media in Mankato.
"“He’s a former cornerback,” Zimmer said. “I was sitting there looking at him the other day and I said maybe we ought to take a look at this guy at nickel. He’s got the body type for it. He’s got good quickness, acceleration and he’s got the body-type to him. It’s just something to look at, and it’s a good time to kind of experiment with guys now.”"
Experiments like this are nothing new for the Vikings. They have tried many different things in the past, such as trying Chad Greenway at middle linebacker and shifting Jared Allen to outside linebacker.
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Right now, the Minnesota Vikings are hoping the second year player Mackensie Alexander is ready to take over the vacant spot left by Captain Munnerlyn, but it never hurts to have depth and competition at such an important position.