3 biggest needs for the Minnesota Vikings in the 2021 NFL Draft
By Luke Parrish
Need No. 2
Cornerback
Before you get all up in arms about the idea of the Vikings taking another cornerback early in the draft, understand that they cannot survive with what they have out there right now.
Cameron Dantzler and Jeff Gladney had excellent rookie seasons, but Gladney is likely the nickel cornerback of the future with Mike Hughes needing to play on the outside if he is even with Minnesota moving forward.
Chris Jones, Holton Hill, Harrison Hand, and Kris Boyd all tried their hand at cornerback this season and the Vikings were gashed as a result. Bringing in another talented corner who can hold his own on the perimeter will help the secondary immensely.
The stars of the 2021 cornerback class are Patrick Surtain II and Caleb Farley, but neither of them will probably make it to pick No. 14, where Minnesota is currently slated to select. Greg Newsome II out of Northwestern and Paulson Adebo out of Stanford are two guys to keep an eye on in the middle rounds of this year’s draft.
Both players show extraordinary ball skills and they stick to their man in pass coverage. They bring size and instincts to the perimeter that the Vikings so desperately needed this past season.
With Harrison Smith behind them, the cornerbacks can play a little bit more aggressively at the line, which is something that the group from this season struggled to do. Minnesota has to learn to stop the passing attack of Aaron Rodgers and the other top NFC arms if they want to truly compete.