With Brian Flores taking charge of the defense, the Minnesota Vikings need to find better cornerbacks in the upcoming 2023 NFL Draft.
As the Minnesota Vikings work to improve the defense, the secondary remains a focal point. Luckily for them, Brian Flores is taking control of the defense in an effort to fix one of the league’s worst units.
While Flores is one of the best defensive minds in the NFL, his arrival does spark yet another steep transition for a young defense devoid of playmakers. While the base defense may not look all too different in 2023, Flores brings a much different playstyle than the roster is accustomed to.
Flores thrives on blitz packages and disguising his rushers, much like Mike Zimmer at the height of his dominance as a head coach. His arrival also makes way for a return of some key Vikings veterans who actually fit his scheme much better than any of the other candidates. Harrison Smith, Danielle Hunter, and Za’Darius Smith could all return next season to serve as quality veterans.
Still, the issue remains at cornerback. Minnesota is set to lose Patrick Peterson. If he departs, the defense will be left with Andrew Booth, Akayleb Evans, and Cameron Dantzler on the roster.
So who are some of the 2023 cornerback prospects the Vikings should be watching during the next few weeks of testing before the draft in April?
Cam Smith (South Carolina)
The Vikings need more freaks on the defense. Cam Smith is one of the fiercest competitors you will find in college football and he has the ball skills to be an incredible cornerback at the next level.
He is sticky in man coverage but has shown the ability to be reliable in zone alignments as well. His best trait, in my opinion, is his competitiveness regardless of what is in front of him. Smith is an aggressive tackler near the line of scrimmage that can sniff out screens and runs to his side of the field. He also jumps routes well enough while having the speed to make up for mishaps.
The main concern with Smith early on will be penalties, which are part of his nature. He can be overly aggressive but that can be coached out of a player with the proper pieces in place. In terms of first-round cornerbacks go, I think Smith is the most realistic option for the Vikings given his value and fit.
Cam Smith has been a draft crush of mine since the season began back in September and I think his style would fit nicely with Booth and Lewis Cine. The trio of young defensive backs would bring a new identity to the defense, a unit that desperately needs a change.
Emmanuel Forbes (Mississippi State)
If you lean more toward a ball-hawking defender, Emmanuel Forbes is your guy. In three seasons at Mississippi State, Forbes racked up 14 interceptions, 20 pass breakups, and six – yes, six – defensive touchdowns.
His slender frame – and Mississippi State connection – will draw plenty of Cam Dantzler comps throughout the draft process but he is such a different player. He will take his fair share of chances in coverage, which can lead to mistakes, but keeping a safety over the top on his side might be worth investing in.
Forbes is a tremendous athlete who trusts his instincts. His long frame has helped produce turnovers for his defense but he also brings a lot of concentration to the perimeter. Ball production is one thing that you can trust to translate to the next level. Forbes has the potential to be a superstar once he gets settled into the NFL.
There is some talk of Forbes sneaking into the back end of the first round which would put him in Minnesota’s range. He could certainly be available a bit later if the Vikings want to move back and accumulate an extra pick on Day 2 of the draft as well.
If the Vikings want to make a splash play, Emmanuel Forbes is the answer in this draft.
Garrett Williams (Syracuse)
Garrett Williams is another long defender with exceptional ball skills that could be available on Day 2 of the draft. An injury in 2022 will likely slide him down just a bit but his value in the third round is something that could intrigue the Vikings if they decide to wait on a cornerback.
Williams was best in man coverage but Syracuse rarely operated out of man coverage, which left Williams in a weird spot. He does not have the long speed to play in that role but his length, physicality, and ball skills set him up well for a press-man defense.
While I am not completely sold on Williams given his lack of experience in man coverage and the recent injury, it is worth checking in on him throughout the pre-draft process. He has the tools to be a fit with Flores entering the mix, especially if they cannot land a premier cornerback in the first round of the draft.
His length allowed him to break-up 21 passes to go along with four interceptions in 28 games at Syracuse. That sort of length will make up for some of the speed concerns, which Williams exhibited a handful of times in college.
Kyu Blu Kelly (Stanford)
Kyu Blu Kelly is a fascinating prospect in this draft. He plays with an intensity that is unmatched and his confidence grows as the game goes on. Kelly has started for the better part of four seasons and has been one of the best coverage guys in the nation during that span.
With a track and field background, Kelly has proven that he has the raw tools to be a star. He tends to carry his routes vertically and leverage the inside because his sprinter mentality allows him to recover whatever is lost up the field.
Kelly is competitive at the catch point and does a good job of reading route concepts to set up his alignment and make the receiver play into his strengths. He thrives in man coverage while struggling to find comfort in zone or off the ball, which makes him a worthy candidate to play for Brian Flores.
I would also be interested to see Kelly serve as the slot defender while using his size and speed to mirror receivers over the middle of the field. It may take some time to develop as more of a shadowing defender or even into a comfortable nickel coverage player but Kyu Blu Kelly has the makings of a starting cornerback very early in his career.
Minnesota could find him on Day 2 – or even Day 3 if they get lucky – and it would be a wonderful situation to find themselves in.
Tyrique Stevenson (Miami)
Tyrique Stevenson has recently been mocked as a first-round selection for the Vikings but that is probably a bit rich. Still, his build and playstyle would be a match under Flores and makes the idea a little more realistic than it was a week or so ago.
The Miami product presents the size the Vikings need on the perimeter, standing at an even 6-feet-tall and 215 pounds. Stevenson is a good athlete for his size but he lacks some of the fluidity that some of the top players in this class have shown, which is noteworthy.
I do think the first round is far too high to take a swing on a player like Tyrique Stevenson for the Vikings. If he is available on Day 2 and the Vikings have not addressed the position yet, then maybe there is a path to him being a Viking in 2023. However, of all the players on this list, he is the one that I would hesitate to start right away.
Minnesota needs a starting defender to lock down the perimeter, which is not going to come immediately with Stevenson. There are better options out there that I believe make sense for the Vikings heading into the NFL Draft.