Minnesota desperately needed help heading into the 2020 NFL Draft within its secondary.
After losing the majority of their secondary this offseason, the Vikings addressed the cornerback position twice in the first three rounds. TCU product Jeff Gladney was taken in the first round and Cameron Dantzler, out of Mississippi State, was selected in the third round in an attempt to patch up the defensive back corps.
Both cornerbacks bring a physical style of play with them to Minnesota. The Vikings drafting those two in the early rounds is great, because Vikings coach Mike Zimmer has been known for turning cornerbacks into stars. There is a lot of buzz around both of the young corners and there is a good chance that both will need to play significant time in 2020.
Although Dantzler was taken towards the end of the third round, there’s still plenty to be excited about. During his last two seasons at Mississippi State, Dantzler had a passer rating when targeted of 43.6.
This stat is absolutely crazy, especially when you consider that if a quarterback spiked the ball on every play his passer rating would be 39.6.
Not only did he put up one of the craziest statistics a cornerback can have, but he did so against the No. 1 overall selection in his draft class and likely the top receiver in the 2021 class: Ja’Marr Chase.
With the amount of key departures the Vikings had within their secondary this offseason, they needed to find multiple players that can come in and make an impact on day one. Dantzler has that ability and it’s going to be exciting to see Zimmer get to work with one of the youngest cornerback groups in the NFL.
