Cornerbacks other than Patrick Peterson
The disappointment from Minnesota cornerbacks started early with former first-round pick Jeff Gladney landing in legal trouble that eventually led to his removal from the team. Then, the Vikings traded away former first-round pick Mike Hughes for a late-round pick. Then, free agent signing Bashaud Breeland was released mid-season for events from practice being the key reason.
Those three exits left a lot of depth to be desired. Sure, Patrick Peterson’s arrival helped because opposing quarterbacks respected him and didn’t throw his direction often, but struggles from former third-round pick Cameron Dantzler, the returning Mackensie Alexander, along with Kris Boyd and Harrison Hand led to teams passing the ball well against Minnesota.
Sadly, this means that Minnesota will likely be in the market again for a cornerback in the early rounds of the 2022 NFL Draft after using a ton of resources at a position that seems like a revolving door.
A new general manager and head coach might be able to help the insane amount of draft capital that has been used on cornerbacks during the Zimmer and Spielman era, but getting those picks right can be a massive challenge.