4 Vikings defensive players on the bubble entering training camp

Nevelle Clarke – CB

It’s actually quite impressive for an undrafted rookie to come in and be a bubble player right off the bat, but this is the case for Nevelle Clarke.

The Vikings are going with a young cornerback group this year and they will likely have at least two rookies as a part of the final group as well.

As a whole, the unit lacks experience with only Mike Hughes, Holton Hill, Kris Boyd, and Mark Fields seeing actual in-game reps at the NFL level. Some of these guys have only played sparingly during their pro careers, so a rookie like Clarke can come in not really be that far behind in the experience department.

Minnesota made it a priority to sign this kid after this year’s NFL Draft and they gave him more guaranteed money than the typical undrafted player usually gets. This showed that the Vikings are incredibly high on him and they believe he could have an impact on their team this year.

At 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds, Clarke would be one of the bigger corners on Minnesota’s roster and he could match up nicely with some of the taller receivers in the NFC North. He showed plenty of ball skills in college as he came up with five interceptions and broke up nearly 30 passes during his four seasons at UCF.

Clarke’s chances of making the Vikings final roster primarily depend upon how many corners the team decides to keep. If they choose to keep six, that should help his chances. But he’ll probably have to beat out players like Fields and Harrison Hand to avoid being cut.