By all accounts, Vikings rookie cornerback Cam Dantzler is putting together a very nice preseason.
With losses to three of their starting cornerbacks this offseason, having a third-round pick step up and play well would be huge for Mike Zimmer’s defense.
Pro Football Focus writer Michael Renner made 10 predictions for rookies heading into 2020. One was that Dantzler would finish with the second-highest PFF grade among rookie cornerbacks.
Here’s what Renner wrote about Dantzler:
Dantzler’s tape was far better than his 89th overall selection might suggest. His weight and 40-yard dash time obviously dropped him, but rave reviews from camp about the third-rounder abound. No corner in college football last year fared better against Ja’Marr Chase last season than Dantzler (2-of-4 targets for 13 yards with a PBU against LSU), so his NFL-readiness shouldn’t be too much of a surprise. The only question here is whether he’ll see the field enough with Mike Hughes, Holton Hill and Jeff Gladney all vying for playing time this fall.
The Vikings will need to rely on Dantzler and the three corners listed above. Hughes is in his third year, as is Hill. Both Gladney and Dantzler are rookies. This unit will go through growing pains, certainly, but the hope is that Zimmer can mold at least one into a star. Maybe that will be Dantzler.
