Vikings Get No Love in PFF’s Cornerback Rankings
Dustin Baker
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The Minnesota Vikings devoted ample time, thought, and finances to bolstering the cornerback group during the 2021 offseason. The team’s head coach, Mike Zimmer, arrived at leadership positions in Cincinnati and Minnesota on the backbone of coaching secondaries.
So, yes, the joke is true – Zimmer loves cornerbacks. Plain and simple.
Last season, he entered the pandemic season with a young twosome of Cameron Dantzler and Jeff Gladney, outfitted with depth by another young corner, Mike Hughes, who later missed most of the season. For the most part, it was the Dantzler-Gladney show as the Vikings navigated a weird season with youth at the back of the defense.
Dantzler shined. His Pro Football Focus grade was the best in the NFL among rookie CBs. Gladney was scrappy and showed a knack for tackling like a safety. Dantzler hopes to solidify his rookie stardom with a robust sophomore effort while Gladney probably won’t play at all in 2021. He is accused of assault in Texas, and the matter has not been adjudicated by the courts or the NFL.
How would the Vikings [in a roundabout sense] prepare for a potential Gladney absence? Well, they were ready before the alleged crime even took place. General Manager Rick Spielman’s splashiest move of the offseason – it was also incredibly unforeseen – was the acquisition of Patrick Peterson in free agency. Peterson, 30, is an eight-time Pro Bowler and three-time First Team All-Pro. He’ll get a righteous chance for a second act with the tutelage of Mike Zimmer. Spielman also signed Bashaud Breeland, a Super Bowl-winning defensive back from the Kansas City Chiefs. Mackensie Alexander, a player with preexisting ties to the Vikings, also returned home on a tiny deal.
All of this means that the Vikings are rather deep at cornerback. If Gladney is cleared of wrongdoing (a longshot), he might have problems finding defensive snaps between Peterson, Dantzler, Breeland, Alexander – and also Harrison Hand plus Kris Boyd.
According to Pro Football Focus, though, the depth doesn’t translate to elite individual play. PFF ranked the NFL’s top 32 cornerbacks earlier this week – and zero Vikings graced the rankings. The “closest” thing to it was Trae Waynes, a player that departed the Vikings for the Cincinnati Bengals one year ago. Waynes is considered the NFL’s 31st-best corner.
The expectation was not that Breeland or Alexander would make the cut. However, after Dantzler’s impressive first-year showing, he could have checked in around the 25th to 32nd or so spots. Why? Of all cornerbacks in 2020 – regardless of rookie or veteran status – Dantzler scored as PFF’s 22nd-best CB in the league. His grade was 70.9. Perhaps PFF would like Dantzler to “prove it” during his sophomore campaign.
Peterson’s grade in 2020 was 55.2, so it was not surprising that the ex-Cardinal was ignored. The excitement surrounding his Vikings rebirth is a change of scenery, particularly that cultivated by Zimmer.
This batch of Vikings corners will have to be a sum of all parts because, per PFF, not one of them is a showstopper.
Leading the rankings are Jaire Alexander, Jalen Ramsey, and Marlon Humphrey in descending order.