Which Minnesota Vikings corners will open the season at the top of the depth chart?
For years, the Minnesota Vikings have been able to lean on their secondary when their defense has been in trouble. With Xavier Rhodes leading the way and earning an All-Pro selection in 2017, throwing on the defense was a tough proposition for opponents and we didn’t even mention Trae Waynes or Mackensie Alexander‘s performance.
But as the Vikings enter the 2020 season, they enter a new era at the cornerback position. Rhodes was released after a steep decline over the past two seasons. Waynes and Alexander decided to leave for the greener pastures with the Cincinnati Bengals. And the players they currently have as their elder statesmen have major question marks.
Fortunately for Minnesota, they spent a large chunk of their draft capital trying to rebuild the cornerback position this year. With Jeff Gladney, Cameron Dantzler, and Harrison Hand, the Vikings are hoping they can find some combination to get their defense back to the dominant unit it has been since Mike Zimmer became the team’s head coach in 2014.
While the long-term prognosis looks solid, the 2020 outlook for this group has major issues. As training camp begins, we look at how the depth chart stacks up and how it could change over the course of the season.
Outside Corner No. 1
Jeff Gladney
While some teams went into the 2020 NFL Draft looking for long-term projects who may not produce right away, the Vikings went in the opposite direction. After losing three starters, Minnesota went to work finding young talent that could contribute from Day 1 and it started by using the 30th overall pick on former TCU cornerback Jeff Gladney.
Gladney is a guy that many have labeled a “Mike Zimmer player.” While Xavier Rhodes made it a trademark of marching to the injury tent every time he gave up a reception last season, Gladney worked out at this year’s NFL Scouting Combine with a torn meniscus. Long story short, there should be no question about toughness here.
But Gladney is also a gifted athlete to boot. Even with the injury, he still blazed a 4.48-second time in the 40-yard dash. He also is sticky on the field in pass coverage, with Pro Football Focus charting 78 percent of Gladney’s targets 10 or more yards downfield as “tight coverage” last season at TCU.
As we enter this season, we know that Gladney is going to see the field. The bigger question is where will he play?
To start the season, there’s a good chance that Gladney will begin his career on the outside. It’s the position he played the most at TCU and with COVID-19 wiping out all of the Vikings’ offseason activities, it will be a faster transition to get him on the field and up to speed.
However, as he gets more comfortable, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him lineup in the slot. At 5-foot-10 and 191 pounds, Gladney weighs just one pound more than Mackensie Alexander, who played in the slot the past two seasons for Minnesota. With rookies usually needing time to develop, the best choice is to play to Gladney’s strengths and teach him new tricks as needed.
Outside Cornerback No. 2
Holton Hill
The post-draft buzz is around Cameron Dantzler, but the second starting job to start 2020 should belong to Holton Hill. With two years of experience under his belt, the Texas product has knowledge of the Mike Zimmer system and with the previously mentioned impact of COVID-19, it should benefit veterans over later-round rookies to start the season.
The good news with Hill is that when he’s been on the field, he’s been effective. Hill had a mini-breakout during the 2018 season with 12.7 coverage snaps per reception, which ranked 22nd among qualifying corners. Hill also was great in shutting down opposing receivers allowing a 67.0 passer rating that was ninth in the NFL and allowing 0.90 yards per coverage snap (24th).
Last season, Hill continued his solid play on the field despite giving up a 90.0 passer rating on nine targets. Even with a smaller sample size, Hill’s yards per snap went down to 0.62 and his snaps per reception went up to 16.2 which would have ranked seventh among qualifying cornerbacks.
Of course, the reason he didn’t qualify is why his status is unclear heading into this season. After being popped with double four-game suspensions, Hill is one slip-up away from being gone for 10 games and perhaps off of the Vikings roster. In fact, it was surprising he stayed on the roster last year as Zimmer kept him in his doghouse even as Xavier Rhodes struggled mightily later in the season.
The 2020 season will represent a new life for Hill, but Minnesota will need to see some maturity off of it to be a long-term fixture in the team’s plans.
Slot Cornerback
Mike Hughes
The slot corner may be considered a demotion for a player since many of us remember it being the No. 3 position on the depth chart in Madden. The Vikings use their slot cornerback regularly, however, and with experience and reps being an issue, the slot could be a perfect place to get Mike Hughes to live up to his first-round expectations.
Many fans still have the images of Amari Cooper destroying Hughes on national television last season, but Hughes showed a different level of effectiveness when he was placed in the slot. With a passer rating allowed that was 31 points lower in the slot, he was a better player and he might benefit with more time against quicker, faster receivers.
Like most of the players in Minnesota’s current group of corners, Hughes comes with a downside. The Central Florida product hasn’t been able to stay healthy during his two seasons in the league and after suffering a multi-ligament knee injury in his rookie year, he injured his neck toward the end of last season.
As a former first-round pick, the Vikings obviously saw something in Hughes that made them pass up several offensive guards who were on the board at the same time. After two years in the system, Minnesota needs to see something from him in Year 3. Otherwise, Hughes will fall behind a talented crop of players behind him.
The Rest
Kris Boyd
If we’re talking about sleepers to snatch a starting job in camp, Kris Boyd’s name should come up. Boyd’s rookie season was more of a project as he allowed 1.70 yards per coverage snap and spent the majority of 2019 on special teams. But once again, experience could be a key advantage in plenty of training camp battles this summer. If Boyd has improved, he has a decent chance to play on the outside to start the season.
Cameron Dantzler
In a perfect world, the Vikings would love to see Cameron Dantzler pick up the playbook and start from Day 1. In reality, however, he might need time to develop. At 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds, Dantzler is long, but he might need to add muscle. Plus, there are questions about his athleticism after running a 4.6-second time in the 40-yard dash at this year’s NFL Scouting Combine. His speed looks much better on tape, however, and if he can grasp the playbook quickly, he should eventually push for a starting spot.
Harrison Hand
The fifth-round pick out of Temple is an unknown as we don’t know if he’ll stick at corner or eventually become a safety.
The one thing we do know is that he likes to hit and he could be this year’s version of Boyd — a player that sticks on special teams and eventually works his way up the depth chart. If Hand can hold off talented UDFA Neville Clarke, he could land that apprenticeship role.