4 biggest unsung zeros for the Minnesota Vikings in 2021

Mackensie Alexander – CB

Mackensie Alexander has finally been getting some heat for his poor play, but the guy hasn’t been good all season long, and the negativity should’ve been rolling in mid-September.

Most Vikings fans were stoked when the team brought Alexander back on a one-year deal. When he left the team, he had developed into a solid nickel corner. Alexander was sticky in coverage and was an excellent blitzer who had a knack for flying in and hitting quarterbacks from their blindside.

But the Alexander that Minnesota signed back from Cincinnati has looked like a much different player. He hasn’t been used much as a blitzer, and he’s really struggled in coverage. Alexander has been slow to cover his man and is usually a step or two behind his receiver.

He looks very much the way he did when he entered the league as a rookie. That player struggled to cover just about anyone and was extremely grabby and ineffective. He hasn’t been the flag magnet he used to be, but he simply can’t cover anyone.

As a veteran member of this secondary, Alexander has been a major disappointment. He grades out on the back-end of cornerbacks in the entire NFL, but he still isn’t garnering the type of criticism that he should be.