10 best Vikings cornerbacks drafted in the first three rounds
By Tim Arcand
6. Charlie West
- Second Round (1968)
Charlie West is the second cornerback the Vikings drafted in rounds 1-3 during the 1960s. Used primarily to return punts and kicks, it took three years for West to break into the starting lineup. In six seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, he returned 123 punts and 78 kicks.
As a cornerback West only started 33 of 75 games on defense. In his first full year as a starter in 1971, he led the Vikings with seven interceptions. Following the ’72 season, West joined the Lions and finished his career as a safety with the Lions. While playing for the Vikings, he intercepted 11 passes—the fourth-most in the ranking. It is one extra interception over Corey Fuller that gives West the sixth spot on the ranking.
5: Cedric Griffin
- Second Round (2006)
The top half of the ranking starts with Cedric Griffin whom the Vikings selected in the second round of the 2006 NFL draft from the University of Texas. The 48th overall player selected, Griffin started seven of 14 games his rookie season. By his second year, he was the full-time starter and in six seasons with the Vikings, he started 70 of 80 games played.
The six seasons and 80 games played are tied for third-most in the ranking and the 70 starts are tied for second. What pushes Griffin down in the ranking is that he only intercepted eight passes in those six seasons. His best season came in 2009 when he started all 16 games and finished with four interceptions.