Among the Minnesota Vikings' defense's greatness, one glaring issue is the cornerbacks.
While they have good, solid starters in Byron Murphy Jr. and Isaiah Rodgers, the offseason signing of Jeff Okudah turned out to be a bust. Even before being placed on IR, Okudah struggled and proved that he wasn't the number-three corner the Vikings needed.
ESPN's Field Yates released his latest 2026 NFL mock draft, where he had the Vikings picking 11th and targeting defense. Yates has Minnesota selecting LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane.
"A notable need for the Vikings is cornerback, where the team is lacking depth behind Byron Murphy Jr. and Isaiah Rodgers. Enter Delane, who took his game to another level after transferring from Virginia Tech before this season. He has excellent size for the position (6-foot, 190 pounds) and thrives using force at the catch point to disrupt the ball. Delane is at his best playing off coverage and reading the quarterback, though he is also a willing run defender who could thrive in Brian Flores' aggressive system. When targeted as the primary coverage player this season, he surrendered the third-lowest completion percentage in the FBS (27.8%)."
Mansoor Delane could fill a massive void that Okudah was not able to for the Minnesota Vikings
In his first season with LSU, Delane is having a monster season for the Tigers after spending the first three seasons with Virginia Tech. He has racked up 45 tackles, an SEC-high 11 pass deflections, and two interceptions in 11 games.
Minnesota needs to find a young cornerback to develop with Murphy and Rodgers on the older side, but still having years in their careers. Murphy is more of a slot corner, also, so getting a solid outside corner would be massive for this defense.
The good thing with Murphy is that he can play on the outside, but he works better in the slot. Delane could develop with Rodgers on the outside and end up being a good tandem there.
Some might be concerned that Delane won't be able to grab as many interceptions as fans might hope, but he can be a true shutdown corner. He's got good instincts to go up against any receiver at six feet tall and swat balls to the ground.
The Vikings have an opportunity to get their defense younger and put them in a position for future success. Delane would be the last key piece to the puzzle for Minnesota.