Getty The Vikings cornerbacks group got some respect in the NFL preseason position rankings.
The Vikings will have an entirely different starting cornerback group this season. Introducing two rookies to the starting rotation may be a concern for some, but NFL.com’s Cynthia Frelund doesn’t seem worried.
Frelund ranked the Vikings cornerback group the 11th best in the NFL heading into training camp. The Vikings could rank even higher on her list after two weeks of practice.
Third-round rookie Cameron Dantzler has emerged as one of the biggest stars out of TCO Performance Center after skepticism surrounding his testing at the NFL Combine, while first-rounder Jeff Gladney is coming around after the Vikings throttled Gladney early in training camp after having offseason surgery.
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Getting Younger to Get Better
The Vikings parted ways with all three of their starting cornerbacks who all were the oldest among the group.
A 30-year-old Xavier Rhodes looked nothing like the player he was in 2017 when the Vikings made him one of the highest-paid cornerbacks in the league. Rhodes allowed a 132.7 passer rating when targeted in 2019, which ranked 76th among active corners. Trae Waynes, 28, allowed a 117.3 passer rating that ranked 57th in the league, while Mackensie Alexander, 25, allowed an 88.5 passer rating in the slot.
The oldest cornerbacks on the Vikings roster are just 23 years old as the young group looks to mature quickly this season.
Starting Experience
GettyMikes Hughes is the most experienced cornerback on the Vikings roster, playing in 20 NFL games.
Outside of 2018 first-rounder Mike Hughes, the Vikings have little starting experience and even less NFL snaps.
Hughes, picked 30th overall in 2018, has played 744 total snaps in two seasons, one of which he only played six games after suffering a knee injury his rookie year.
The next closest player to him in terms of snaps is Holton Hill. Hill, in his third year out of Texas, benefited from Hughes’ injury and played 353 of his 369 snaps in 2018 after Hughes’ season-ending injury. Hill was in Zimmer’s dog house for the past few seasons but has been considered the top cornerback int raining camp after coming in with more focus.
Beyond the two three-year corners, Minnesota has just eight snaps in one game of NFL experience in Nathan Meadors at cornerback.
Gladney and Dantzler figure to start alongside Hughes and Hill in two different sets. Dantzler and Hill on the outside and Hughes in the slot or Hughes and Hill on the outside and Gladney at the nickel cornerback position.
Dantzler has shown he can hang with outside receivers in practice as he broke up a pass intended for Adam Thielen and intercepted Kirk Cousins during training camp. Dantzler allowed a 43.6 passer rating when targeted in the final two years of college.
Gladney broke up a Big 12-best 15 passes in 2019, which ranked eighth nationally. Gladney played with a torn meniscus in his senior season and had offseason surgery to repair it. He still participated in the combine and was drafted No. 31 overall.
The group will be tested the season, facing the toughest schedule against opposing quarterbacks in the NFL.
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Trevor Squire is a Heavy contributor covering the Minnesota Vikings and journalism graduate from the University of Minnesota — Twin Cities. Connect with him on Twitter @trevordsquire and join our Vikings community at Heavy on Vikings on Facebook.