Vikings add former Texas CB Kris Boyd in the 2019 NFL Draft

The Minnesota Vikings kicked off their string of seventh-round selections in the 2019 NFL Draft by adding former Texas cornerback Kris Boyd to their roster.

Cornerback was a sneaky need for the Minnesota Vikings heading into this year’s NFL Draft, at least in terms of depth.

With Trae Waynes and Mackensie Alexander both in the final year of their current contracts, Mike Hughes coming off a torn ACL, and Holton Hill serving a suspension for the first four games of the 2019 season, the Vikings were likely going to add another corner during this year’s draft.

Minnesota did just that with their first selection in the seventh round when they used pick No. 217 on former Texas cornerback Kris Boyd.

Boyd was a starter on Texas’ defense since his sophomore season at the school. Last year, the newest Minnesota cornerback appeared in 13 games and racked up a total of 54 tackles (4.5 for a loss), 15 pass breakups, and one sack.

He’s a bit on the smaller side (5-foot-11, 201 pounds) of what Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer seems to look for in a cornerback. But Boyd makes up for his size with his strength and his quickness (4.45 time in the 40-yard dash).

He could be someone that Minnesota looks to as a potential replacement for Alexander in the slot in 2020 if everything works out well. Although, he also has the talent to play on the outside as well.

With the selection, the Vikings have now taken four players from the defensive side of the ball. All have been basically selected to improve Minnesota’s depth for 2019.