Trent McDuffie
The most glaring roster need in February for the Minnesota Vikings is cornerback. And it’s not all that debatable.
These are the team’s cornerbacks heading into free agency, which begins in about two weeks:
Does that group inspire faith? No.
Patrick Peterson could return to the team as the veteran corner seems to fancy the idea of returning to Minnesota. But that is not concrete at the moment. His presence would make the need for more CBs a bit less daunting – but not by much.
As a result, about 80% of all mock drafts in the last two months forecast the Vikings choosing a corner. From NFL.com, Daniel Jeremiah was on the same path for CB in his second mock draft of the season. But he tweaked the name. The most popular names associated with the Vikings in the 1st Round are Ahmad Gardner and Derek Stingley Jr.
This time, Jeremiah hypothesized Trent McDuffie, a corner from the University of Washington. He briefly defended the pick, “McDuffie is one of the cleanest evaluations in the draft, and he plays a position of need for the Vikings.”
In this mock, McDuffie was actually chosen before Stingley Jr., which is uncommon amid most credible mock drafts. Sauce Gardner became a New York Jet, McDuffie to the Vikings, and Stingley Jr. to the Baltimore Ravens.
As for McDuffie, The Draft Network’s Drae Harris described the Washington CB:
“Trent McDuffie is a very good athlete with good lateral agility and overall quickness in coverage. In the run game, he is an aggressive tackler who seemingly enjoys the physical aspect of the game. He seems to relish when he is the force player in zone, so that he can be a willing participant in the run game. In the passing game, although he plays the game from “bail” technique more often than not, he demonstrates good hips and feel to stay in phase in coverage. He is always close in coverage and is rarely out of position. In zone, he demonstrates good instincts, easily passing off routes. He easily identifies when the opposition threatens his zone and knows how to utilize his help. I wish he were consistently more effective as a re-router in press situations.”
– Drae Harris | The Draft Network
[brid autoplay=”true” video=”958488″ player=”26279″ title=”WATCH%204%20takeaways%20from%20Kevin%20OConnells%20introductory%20press%20conference%20with%20Minnesota%20Vikings” duration=”160″ description=”SKIP TO MAIN CONTENTSportsnautSportsnautNFLCFBMLBNBAVIDSNHLNASCARUFCNFL·Published February 17, 20224 takeaways from Kevin O’Connell’s introductory press conference with Minnesota VikingsAndrew Buller-RussAndrew Buller-RussShare on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on FlipboardShare on RedditShare on News BreakShare via EmailEarlier in the week following the Super Bowl, some Minnesota Vikings fans began to worry about Kevin O’Connell potentially getting cold feet. Especially with the Sean McVay retirement rumors. Fans can rest easy now that O’Connell has officially been announced to the press as the 10th coach in Vikings history.In Thursday’s press conference the new Vikings coach had several interesting tidbits to share, including the likely immediate future of Kirk Cousins‘ status with the organization. Down below we break it all down.” uploaddate=”2022-02-18″ thumbnailurl=”https://cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/17660/snapshot/958422_s_1645214109648.png” contentUrl=”https://cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/17660/streaming/958422/958422.m3u8″]
If Minnesota does not trade Kirk Cousins, a man soaking up $45 million in cap space, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is almost assured to take a defensive player with the 12th overall pick. Besides some [hopefully] tweaks to the interior of the offensive line, the offseason will be defensively-themed. Minnesota’s offense has the personnel – now brains like Kevin O’Connell and Wes Phillips have to press the ON button.
The defense isn’t quite like that. The Vikings need 4+ starters from free agency and the draft – and that’s probably why cornerbacks continue to occupy the Vikings mock draft space.
Add Trent McDuffie to the list.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sally from Minneapolis. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).