The McDuffization of Recent Vikings Draft Hype

The theorized Minnesota Vikings 2022 draft targets of Ahmad Gardner and Derek Stingley may not be available to the franchise with the 12th overall pick, so a McDuffization of recent draft hype has occurred.

Naturally or with a nudge, onlookers of the Vikings have warmed to Trent McDuffie, a cornerback from the University of Washington.

For weeks — months, even — it was all-Gardner or all-Stingley all of the time for the Vikings, but McDuffie may end up as “the guy” if Minnesota indeed targets a corner, hell or high water, with its first pick.

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Interestingly, McDuffie may be available to Minnesota if the ballclub opts to trade back, too. Just as recent momentum has accumulated for drafting McDuffie, an equivalent amount has spiked for trading back. Rumors even exist that general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has McDuffie graded highly and has a trade-back on the brain to snatch the man.

VikingsTerritory‘s draft expert Josh Frey said about the CB, “McDuffie might not have the length of some other CBs in the 2022 class, thus knocking his stock down below the likes of Ahmad Gardner and Derek Stingley Jr., but he makes up for his lack of size with terrific agility, speed, and a fearless, hard-hitting mentality.”

The Draft Network calls McDuffie a “very good athlete with good lateral agility and overall quickness in coverage” and via run defense an “aggressive tackler who seemingly enjoys the physical aspect of the game.”

Of all cornerbacks in college football last season who played at least 300 coverage snaps, McDuffie allowed the fewest receiving yards in the country to opponents, limiting pass-catchers to a total of 111 yards — in 11 games. Not bad.

McDuffie also notched a 92.1 career pass-coverage grade at Washington, according to Pro Football Focus.

Other personalities on Twitter are a part of the McDuffization:

Vikings fan David Ward agrees:

And last week, in Bleacher Report‘s “Community Draft,” where fans controlled the outcome of every team’s draft pick via voting, McDuffie landed with the Vikings at #12.

If chosen, McDuffie would be the Vikings sixth cornerback selected with 2nd-Rounder-or higher draft capital in the last 10 drafts.

Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. 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).