4 reasons why Vikings safety Harrison Smith is still elite

By the numbers, Smith was a pass-coverage tycoon last season

And, he needed to be. In a bizarre twist of events, the Vikings cornerbacks were no longer very good in 2019. Longtime shutdown commodity, Xavier Rhodes, inexplicably digressed. The divergence from Rhodes’ otherwise sensational production was stark.

Rhodes was an All-Pro cornerback in 2017 and then his passer-rating-against was a nauseating 123.8 in 2019. Minnesota recently moved on from the veteran cornerback and drafted two rookie corners in Jeff Gladney and Cameron Dantzler this year. Rhodes is now with the Indianapolis Colts, who decided to take a flyer on the free-agent defensive back.

Just as Rhodes’ passer-rating-against was putrid, Smith’s was equally as sweet. The eighth-year Minnesota safety allowed a stingy 41.7 passer-rating-against in 2019. Of all NFL safeties, this mark was only outdone last season by Ravens veteran Earl Thomas (24.2).

If the argument is made that Pro Football Focus grades are subjective, passer-rating-against is non-interpretive. The metric is a raw, rudimentary one and not debatable.

New England Patriots corner Stephen Gilmore notched a 44.1 passer-rating-against on 101 targets last year. Why do you think he won the Defensive Player of the Year award?