When the Minnesota Vikings selected USC cornerback Mekhi Blackmon at 102nd overall, it raised some eyebrows. Blackmon was ranked at 185th on the consensus board and a reach of 83 picks is a lot.
Why did the Vikings make such a “reach?” The draft class was flush at the cornerback position and taking a player a round early speaks more to wanting a certain skill set than talent alone.
Why did the Vikings select Blackmon? Let’s dive into the tape to see why Brian Flores would have prioritized him.
Background
After spending time in junior college and Colorado, Blackmon transferred to USC for his final season in 2022. He thrived in Alex Grinch’s defense becoming one of just two cornerbacks to register a PFF grade of 85+ in both man and zone coverage. The only other went fifth overall to the Seattle Seahawks in Devon Witherspoon.
His athletic testing didn’t provide any agility drills due to monsoon conditions at his pro day, but he does have a 98.5th percentile 10-yard split and that quickness shows up on tape.
The lack of size is a factor because 178 lbs isn’t big at all. Hopefully, he can gain 5-10 lbs and not lose much athleticism.
Footwork
Blackmon has some really good feet, but he’s not consistent with it. When he’s in press coverage, Blackmon has this stutter step that keeps his feet moving at the release and allows him to stay in phase. Sometimes that can bite him by over-committing to one side, but his quickness can help him recover quickly.
This is a prime example of his recovery ability. He gets his hips turned on a comeback route but plants his foot into the ground and explodes forward for the interception.
Staying in phase
When you watch Blackmon in man coverage, it’s where he thrives the most. Staying in-phase with the receiver is key in man coverage and Blackmon does a really good job.
His footwork does a lot of the work here, but Blackmon also keeps his eyes on the receiver the entire time and moves with fluidity in his hips. These are traits that translate to the NFL and Flores can work with.
Ball skills
When you play in man coverage, ball skills are something that you need to have, There isn’t going to be anyone batting the ball in front of you as you would see in zone coverage. You need to be able to attack the football to prevent big plays down the field.
Blackmon can do just that. He sees the football well and attacks it with vigor. That earned him 20 PBUs in his career with eight in 2022. This rep was on a different level. He is put in a sticky situation where he is running with two receivers at once. He sees what the quarterback does in the seam route is open and jumps the ball for the PBU. That level of vision and instincts is great to see.
Dumb jock energy
If you love professional wrestling, you have likely heard the term dumb jock energy. What does it mean? You exude arrogance, are cocky and physical in your actions. Davey Richards is arguably the most famous of dumb jock wrestlers and he was known for his physical style and not caring attitude.
Blackmon has that in droves. He gets feisty and in the face of the receivers he faces. This is a perfect example of it. Right after the play, he is right up in their face. He also continuously gets the final shot in on the receiver.
Blackmon also doesn’t take anyone’s crap. This block from Dorian Thompson-Robinson is the epitome of his play style. Blackmon literally shrugs him off and goes after the running back Zach Charbonnet.
Expectations
The Vikings have now made five selections in the secondary over the first 16 picks of the Kwesi Adofo-Mensah era. Outside of the Byron Murphy Jr. signing, there isn’t any certainty of anyone starting. Blackmon coming in and earning a starting job out of the gate isn’t likely, but it’s within any reasonable set of outcomes. He is a talented player that fits the motif of what Flores wants to do.
Even if he struggles, he will be feisty and that’s fun.
