Would the Vikings Dare Target a CB in the First Round of the 2024 NFL Draft?
Josh Frey
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Over the past 10 years, the Minnesota Vikings have selected six cornerbacks with a top-100 pick in the NFL Draft (and another on Mekhi Blackmon with the 102nd pick in the 2023 Draft).
Seldom have these selections worked out for the team, though, and the cornerback room remains a bit of a need for Minnesota heading into 2024. With the Vikings needing a true lockdown CB1, could the Vikings try to take a stab at the position again in this year’s draft? Here are three prospects that could be on Minnesota’s radar with the 11th overall pick.
Quinyon Mitchell (Toledo)
Quinyon Mitchell was one of the big winners of this year’s Senior Bowl. Coming out of a small program after spending four seasons with the Toledo Rockets, Mitchell proved that he could hang with some of the top receivers in this year’s draft.
Mitchell is a complete cornerback prospect. He is a vicious tackler and very aggressive at the point of the catch, which allowed him pile up a whopping 37 passes defended over the past two seasons at Toledo. Among all cornerbacks with at least 200 coverage snaps, his forced incompletion percentage of 27% ranked 11th, per PFF.
Terrion Arnold (Alabama)
Not only has Terrion Arnold turned himself into a terrific cornerback over the course of his collegiate career at Alabama, but he could be a dream fit in Brian Flores’ defensive scheme. Arnold is a big, physical cornerback who is not afraid to mix it up in run defense. His 90.5 PFF grade in run defense ranked third among all FBS cornerbacks with at least 100 snaps in that department.
In addition, Flores would love Arnold because of his versatility to move around the secondary. He was actually recruited to Alabama as a safety, and during the 2023 season, the Crimson Tide product played 557 snaps as a boundary cornerback, 205 snaps in the slot, and 69 snaps in the box.
Nate Wiggins (Clemson)
Nate Wiggins is a bit lanky (6’2″ and 187 pounds), but he has tremendous length and speed, which allows him to blanket receivers downfield. Wiggins battled through a bone bruise in his knee during the 2023 season, but he recovered to have a strong conclusion to his final year at Clemson.
Wiggins was a two-year starter with the Tigers, and throughout his career, he totaled 60 tackles, three tackles for loss, a sack, 21 passes defended, three interceptions, and a pair of forced fumbles. He certainly has the potential to be a CB1 at the NFL level.
Editor’s Note: Statistics for this article were found via Pro Football Focus and Sports Reference CFB.
The Vikings All Free-Agency Team | 2024
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.
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