Today is the 11th day of two weeks of Minnesota Vikings coverage leading up to the April 25 beginning of the NFL Draft.
April 12: Five best draft moments in the past 25 years
April 13: Five worst draft moments in the past 25 years
April 14: Quarterbacks position preview
April 15: Running backs/fullbacks position preview
April 16: Offensive tackles position preview
April 17: Guards/centers position preview
April 18: Tight ends position preview
April 19: Wide receivers position preview
April 20: Defensive linemen position preview
April 21: Linebackers position preview
Today: Cornerbacks position preview
April 23: Safeties position preview
April 24: Rick Spielman's draft strategy
April 25: Forecasting the first-round picks
TODAY'S POSITION: CORNERBACKS
Importance (1-to-10 scale): 9
On the roster
Since losing 14-year veteran Antoine Winfield, the cornerback position has become perhaps the biggest need on the team. Minnesota didn't want to lose Winfield -- who was scheduled to make $7.25 million next season -- but made him a salary cap casualty. The Vikings tried to convince him to return at a lower salary, but he chose to go to the Seattle Seahawks for a similar deal to the one Minnesota was offering. Now, the secondary lacks its leader. Winfield will turn 36 years old in June, but his play hadn't slipped much. He was the veteran influence in a young secondary and could be counted on to provide good coverage responsibilities and step up against the run. Winfield is still one of the best tackling corners in the game and was able to match up with slot receivers. Winfield tied for the team lead with three interceptions and without Winfield back, Josh Robinson is the only returning corner with an interception last season (two).
Chris Cook was the best pure cover corner and is now the team's unquestioned top overall corner. Cook has the size and ability to match the league's top, big receivers, but has to stay healthy. He again missed time last year and is still looking for his first career interception. Robinson doesn't have great size, but does have elite speed. Minnesota didn't believe he could play inside last year and he'll probably be a starter on the outside this year. A.J. Jefferson returns to the team and will compete with Robinson to be a starter and is a capable backup for depth. Beyond those three, there's a lot of unknowns. Marcus Sherels played inside when Winfield was out and is the top returner, but he isn't guaranteed to make the team. Minnesota also has young corners Brandon Burton, Bobby Felder, Nick Taylor, Greg McCoy and Rod Williams, all with limited experience.
Last five cornerbacks drafted
2012: Josh Robinson, Central Florida: third round (66th overall) -- still with the Vikings
2011: Brandon Burton, Utah: fifth round (139th overall) -- still with the Vikings
2010: Chris Cook, Virginia: second round (34th overall) -- still with the Vikings
2009: Asher Allen, Georgia: third round (86th overall) -- retired May 30, 2012
2007: Marcus McCauley, Fresno State: third round (72nd overall) -- released, September 2009; out of the NFL
Philosophy at the position
Minnesota will need to add to the position, whether it's in terms of starting quality, depth, or both. The Vikings haven't dedicated much of their draft resources to the position in the past. In 1994, they selected Dewayne Washington in the first round. Washington is the only first-round cornerback pick in team history. Cook was the team's top pick in 2010, but he came in the second round. With the move towards pass-first offenses and Minnesota facing three strong QB-WR teams in the division with Green Bay, Detroit and Chicago, more is needed. Robinson has tools, but he struggled last year and started seeing less time at the end of the year. Jefferson is a solid depth player, but shouldn't be counted on as a starter. The Vikings will need to attack this position aggressively and might finally break that streak of avoiding first-round cornerbacks.
Day 1 name to remember (Round 1)
Desmond Trufant, senior, Washington (6-0, 190). Trufant is in a mix of several cornerbacks that will likely garner first-round consideration, especially in the second half of the first round. He has NFL bloodlines as brothers Isaiah and Marcus are currently in the league. Desmond will likely mirror Marcus' move to the NFL as a first-round pick. Desmond has elite speed, running a 4.38-second 40-yard dash at the Combine. He also has decent size. He is quick, agile and has good instincts. Trufant also has the confidence and swagger of a top corner. He has a thin frame, could get stronger and is not considered a great tackler. He has good leaping ability, but he only had six interceptions despite starting the majority of his four years at Washington, possibly a sign teams stayed away from throwing to Trufant's side.
Trufant says: "This year we had a whole defensive coaching change. Justin Wilcox was our defensive coordinator. We did a lot of man to man. And I feel like I'm a man-to-man corner. I can play zone as well, but I feel man is my strength. In the league you've got to be able to man up. The receivers are great. You've got to be able to read and react, and be out there on that island. And it's definitely helped me being at UW."
Day 2 name to remember (Rounds 2-3)
Jordan Poyer, senior, Oregon State (6-0, 191). Poyer is a talented, big-play cornerback, something the Vikings desperately need. He had 13 career interceptions for Oregon State, including seven last season for 122 return yards. He is a good athlete with decent speed and manageable size, and can turn and run with receivers with good footwork. Poyer's good hands help him make plays on the balls, winning individual matchups and even competing against taller receivers. He has experience in zone and man coverage and is also willing to come up and defend the run game. Poyer plays off the line of scrimmage, struggles in press coverage and doesn't have elite recovery speed. He has experience as a kick and punt returner.
Day 3 name to remember (Rounds 4-7)
Sanders Commings, senior, Georgia (6-0, 216). Commings is the pick here assuming some team will gamble on LSU's Tyann Mathieu, formerly known as the "Honey Badger," on the draft's second day. Mathieu is an interesting case and could be a good project for the Vikings as a returner and slot cornerback.
Commings brings physicality and can be a press corner in Minnesota's Cover-2 system. Commings surprised with his speed at the Combine, running the 40 in 4.41 seconds. He has the speed and size to thrive in the Cover-2 system. He might not be a standout man-to-man cornerback, but his skills fit the Vikings. Commings can even matchup with tight ends in coverage, and does have good hands. He doesn't have big range and is lacking the footwork and quickness of an elite corner, causing some NFL teams to possibly view him as a safety. He did miss two games last season because of an arrest, reportedly for an alleged assault of his girlfriend in public.
FOXSports.com's draft expert Taylor Jones says:
"I happen to like the kid from Oregon State, Jordan Poyer. I think he's one of the best playmakers in this draft, great ball skills, uses his body well, high points everything, to me he was like the 'Honey Badger' that didn't get the recognition that the 'Honey Badger' got. He played at Oregon State, obviously you're not going to get the recognition that you're going to get in the SEC. But he was every bit as good from a ball-skill perspective and the ability to make a play on the ball and turn what most people would have as a pass deflection into an interception and return it back for a score.
"(Mathieu) is a hard one to figure out. Having never talked to the kid, to me it's all in the interview. And I'm not just talking about the 15 minutes you get at the Combine. The meat of it, you can't get to the meat of this kid's problem in 13 minutes. I think you've got to have a personal visit with the guy. I wouldn't even put him on the field. I'd spend all my time talking to him because I know what he can do on the field and he's shown at the Combine. He looked like an athlete out there. You got Dee Milliner who is batting the ball up to himself four different times and then still dropped it and then Mathieu coming in behind him and catching the ball with one hand in the palm of his hand and then running it back like he's Deion Sanders. So the athletic ability is there, but can the kid overcome this problem that got him kicked off the team and then continued to do it?"
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