Cornerback Jeff Gladney, a physical player out of TCU, was chosen by the Vikings, a team that desperately needed corner depth.
Gladney will compete for the starting cornerback spots out wide with the likes of Mike Hughes and Holton Hill.
Bleacher Report predicts that Gladney will earn playing time in his first NFL season, but he will not be a full-time starter. Here’s what Tyler Brooke, who writes about football for the outlet, said:
The Vikings get a cornerback with a tenacious mentality and top-tier competitive toughness. He excels in press-man coverage, and he’s a reliable tackler compared to a lot of the cornerback prospects in this year’s class. While a couple of his pass breakups were dropped interceptions, Gladney does a great job of limiting separation in man coverage and anticipating route concepts.
Brooke went on to say that Gladney will likely be asked to start pretty early in his career, but he will have help in the Vikings secondary. Safeties Anthony Harris and Harrison Smith can provide help up top, and Hill and Hughes are both pretty good when they’re playing.
“Offenses may still target the rookie often in his first NFL season, but he should be able to hold his own,” Bleacher Report said.
