5 biggest surprises by the Minnesota Vikings in the 2021 NFL Draft

Not drafting a cornerback

One of the bigger shockers of what the Vikings did in the 2021 NFL Draft was that the team didn’t draft a single cornerback.

While it could be argued that fourth-round pick Cam Bynum is a corner, when Rick Spielman announced the selection, he specifically said he was a safety, which obviously speaks volumes to how Minnesota plans on using him.

Under head coach Mike Zimmer, the Vikings have taken a cornerback in every single draft. Zim loves collecting corners and he can never seem to have enough. Maybe Spielman locked Zimmer in a closet or found another way to appease him during this year’s draft. But the team didn’t take a single cornerback in the draft for the first time in Zimmer’s tenure.

This speaks to the current depth of the position. Minnesota went out and signed Patrick Peterson and Mackensie Alexander in free agency this year, and even with Jeff Gladney’s future in jeopardy, the team has Cameron Dantzler, Kris Boyd, Harrison Hand, and potentially one more season with Mike Hughes.

There really wasn’t room for another rookie on the depth chart this season. That’ll be a different story in a year, unless the Vikings have plans to extend both Peterson and Alexander after the 2021 season.