Vikings Predicted to Add Lockdown CB as Peterson’s Heir Apparent

Courtesy of Vikings

Vikings cornerback Patrick Peterson called out Skip Bayless for a poorly timed tweet after Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffered a medical emergency on January 2, 2023.

The Minnesota Vikings spent much of last offseason focused on improving their secondary, and the coming offseason isn’t expected to play out much differently.

Trevor Sikkema of Pro Football Focus in his latest mock draft predicted that the Vikings will use their first-round pick, currently slotted at No. 30 overall, on lockdown cornerback Devon Witherspoon out of the University of Illinois.

“The Vikings’ projected offseason shows they’ll have a big cornerback need, especially with Patrick Peterson getting up there in age as a 32-year-old pending free agent,” Sikkema wrote on December 28. “Witherspoon has been one of the best outside cornerbacks in the country this season, with an elite 92.6 grade in coverage and only 206 yards allowed all year. He now oozes first-round potential because of it.”

As a redshirt junior, Witherspoon tallied 41 tackles, including 2.5 tackles for loss, 14 passes defensed and three interceptions.

Witherspoon Would be Latest Member of Vikings’ Youth Movement in Secondary

GettyCB Devon Witherspoon of the Illinois Fighting Illini breaks up a pass intended for WR Arland Bruce IV of the Iowa Hawkeyes during the first half of a game at Memorial Stadium on October 8, 2022 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)

The Vikings looked to address the secondary early and often in last year’s NFL Draft. The team selected safety Lewis Cine in the first round with the 32nd-overall pick. Minnesota went with cornerback Andrew Booth Jr. just 10 spots later in the early portion of round two. The Vikings came back to the secondary in round four, drafting cornerback Akayleb Evans 118th overall.

All three have played significant roles this season as rookies, though all three have also suffered significant injuries along the way. Cine sustained a fractured leg in Week 4 that knocked him out for the season. Booth was ruled out for the year after undergoing knee surgery in late November. The Vikings chose to rule Evans out for the remainder of the season back in early December after he struggled to navigate the NFL’s concussion protocol.

Starting cornerback Cameron Dantzler has also struggled to stay healthy this year, as an ankle issue landed him on the IR for four games before a re-injury to that same joint cost him a fifth. He also missed a game this season due to an illness. All six of his absences have come in the Vikings’ last seven contests.

Peterson Having Big Year as Resident Veteran in Vikings’ Secondary

GettyCB Patrick Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings warms up prior to a game against the Dallas Cowboys at U.S. Bank Stadium on November 20, 2022 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

Peterson is nearing the end of his second season in Minnesota, which has served as something of a renaissance for the 12-year NFL veteran.

The eight-time Pro-Bowl selection has racked up 58 tackles, including three tackles for loss, 14 passes defensed and four interceptions, per Pro Football Reference. He has been durable as well, appearing in and starting all 15 of the team’s games to this point.

Peterson was not rewarded with a ninth Pro-Bowl honor this season, despite his counting statistics and Pro Football Focus ranking him the seventh-best cornerback in the NFL out of 121 qualifying players at the position with an 80.3 overall rating and an 82.1 rating in coverage. Even still, his production and his health have made him the cornerstone of Minnesota’s secondary in 2022.

The cornerback has played on consecutive one-year deals for the Vikings, worth $8 million and $4 million, respectively. Based on his performance, Peterson’s number may well go up in 2023. However, if his financial ask remains reasonable, the Vikings would do well to bring him back for another season or two.

Such a move, combined with the addition of a player like Witherspoon and a return to health for the young members of Minnesota’s secondary, should set the Vikings up with a considerably better defensive backfield in 2023 than they were able to muster this year.