What the Vikings can expect from their 2019 seventh-round picks

Kris Boyd – CB (Texas)

Boyd comes into the NFL after a heavily decorated career at Texas where he became a starter during his sophomore season and was an All-Big 12 performer after finishing his senior season with 16 pass breakups (6th in the nation).

Aside from the stats, Boyd has the size that Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer craves from his defensive backs, standing at 5-foot-11 and weighing 201 pounds.

Perhaps more enticing for Zimmer is Boyd’s willingness to stick his nose into his opponent’s running game. The former Texas corner racked up 54 tackles in each of his final two seasons at Texas and he registered 4.5 tackles for loss during his senior campaign.

The knock on Boyd coming into the draft process was a lack of athleticism and the fact that he tends to struggle in contested catch situations. He might have put the athleticism worries to rest with a strong workout at the NFL Scouting Combine last March and with Zimmer being a defensive back guru, there is ample opportunity for improvement.

Boyd is unlikely to become Minnesota’s long-term replacement for Trae Waynes, but he brings some things that Waynes brought to the table when he was coming out of Michigan State.

With Minnesota’s cornerback depth being tested after the suspension of Holton Hill and the potential of a deal involving Waynes, Boyd is a prospect that could actually make the roster at the end of training camp.