Our guy Doug Farrar over at Touchdown Wire ranked his top-11 slot defenders in the NFL heading into the 2019 season.
Vikings cornerback Mackensie Alexander came in at No. 8 on the list.
Here’s a bit of what Farrar wrote about Alexander:
Alexander became Mike Zimmer’s primary slot defender after the retirement last September of the seemingly ageless Terence Newman, and it was there that he found his home after two more undefined seasons as an outside guy. Alexander has the closing speed to work well in zone coverage, but he’s especially effective in man and match coverage because he’s learned to anticipate route concepts and combinations, and he’s efficiently aggressive to the ball.
Alexander’s emergence came out of nowhere after a disappointing first two seasons of his career. In 2018, Alexander finished with a Pro Football Focus grade of 78.1, a mark that ranked 17th among all cornerbacks.
If Alexander can replicate what he did last season, he’ll be in for a big pay day. He’s in the final year of his rookie contract.
