The Vikings Just May Have the Fastest Player in the World
The evidence arrived on an unfortunate play from Week 4, but according to NFL Next GEN Stats, Minnesota Vikings cornerback Isaiah Rodgers is apparently the fastest player in the NFL.
NFL Next Gen stats delivered a nugget this week that painted one Minnesota Vikings defender as the fastest player in the business, believe it or not.
No one has approached Rodgers’ Week 4 speed since the inception of NFL Next GEN’s existence, so, yes, Minnesota has a dog on its hands. A greyhound.
Speed? Vikings CB Isaiah Rodgers Has It.
The dude is the fastest man in the NFL, if you believe the NFL’s numbers.
Next GEN Stats Drops Bombshell about Isaiah Rodgers’ Speed
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf broke free last Sunday for a monster touchdown against Brian Flores’ defense, a regrettable transgression from the norm. But a positive factoid emerged, uplifted by the NFL this week.
Next GEN Stats on Rodgers: “Isaiah Rodgers has allowed 4.2 yards per target in coverage, 7th-fewest among 70 outside cornerbacks who have been targeted at least 10 times. Rodgers has allowed completions on 8 of 18 targets (44.4%) despite an expected completion rate of 60.1%.”
“In addition, he has forced a loss of -15.0 expected points on his targets (3rd-fewest at his position), owing in large part to his 87-yard interception return TD in Week 3. In Week 4, Rodgers reached a max speed of 23.32 MPH while attempting to chase down DK Metcalf, the fastest speed by any player in the Next Gen Stats era (since 2017).”
Plenty of speedy players have passed through the NFL in the last eight years, so it’s not like Rodgers is a part of a small sample. On the Metcalf touchdown, Rodgers blazed faster than prime Tyreek Hill.
The Pre-Draft Resume Confirms It
The signs were there for Rodgers’ speed.
Before the 2020 NFL Draft, Rodgers ran a 4.28 forty, and a player can’t really run too much faster than that. He ultimately slipped to Round 5 before the Indianapolis Colts took the plunge, but that man has never been short on speed.
NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein on Rodgers five years ago: “Slender, ballhawking cornerback who will need to prove he can make a move from outside into the slot at the next level. He has blazing closing speed on long throws with plus ball skills to play the football and constrict catch space.”
“His twitch and instincts allow him to pounce on top of throws from off-man but his slight frame could be an issue when teams target him with bigger bodies in coverage. He’s a plus return man, which adds to his value, but his success could rest upon how he handles a transition inside and whether his body can hold up in run support.”
Blazing closing speed from Zierlein was confirmed on Sunday in Ireland.
Stellar Performance Overall, Too
In addition to the speed, Rodgers has played like an utter madman in Minnesota through four games.
In Week 3, during a full beatdown of the futile Cincinnati Bengals, Rodgers logged two defensive touchdowns, two forced fumbles, and a perfect day in pass coverage. His performance that day at U.S. Bank Stadium ranked right up there — near the top of the list — with the best individual showings in Vikings history. With no exaggeration.
He currently has an 85.4 Pro Football Focus grade to his name entering Week 5, making him the second-best cornerback in the league. No fan had that on her bingo board when the season kicked off.
A Free Agency Masterclass
When free agency kicked off in March, fans waited patiently for the Vikings’ first signing, and upon their phone buzzing with the opening transaction, Rodgers’ name appeared.
Many expected or hoped Minnesota would land D.J. Reed or Paulson Adebo, but quickly warmed up to Rodgers, who the aforementioned Flores allegedly handpicked.
Not every purple free-agent signing has blossomed in the first month of the regular season. Rodgers, though, has made the class look exquisite.
A Himmy Award?
Rodgers also won a “Himmy Award” recently.
Our Cole Smith wrote last week, “Rodgers forced a fumble on Bengals tight end Noah Fant, picked it up, and returned it 66 yards for a touchdown to give the Vikings a 24-3 lead. Rodgers followed that up with a forced fumble on the next drive, which was recovered by Jeff Okudah to seemingly put the game out of reach before halftime.”
“The performance landed Rodgers as a finalist for ESPN’s ‘Himmy’ award. It’s a weekly, fan-voted award given to one of four standout NFL players nominated for their performances that week. Think of the ‘I’m him!’ phrase athletes use after a dominating performance. Unsurprisingly, Rodgers won the award after receiving 42% of the vote. He deserves it after being the first player in NFL history to have two forced fumbles and two defensive touchdowns in the same game.”
Speed. Multiple defensive touchdowns. Blocked field goals. Forced fumbles. Top 2 PFF Grades. Affordable contract. Himmy Awards.
Rodgers is morphing into a Vikings legend before your eyes.
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