Defining a shutdown cornerback has always been a challenge.
There isn’t a handbook available that precisely defines the term, and due to the relatively subjective nature of evaluating coverage performance, there isn’t necessarily a clear-cut right or wrong answer.
That said, it has become explicitly clear over the past two Minnesota Vikings seasons that cornerback Xavier Rhodes is in the conversation for the league’s top cover man. Through hard work, determination and an excess of natural ability, Rhodes has successfully eliminated most of the best wide receivers in the NFL over the course of the past two seasons.
From silencing New York Giants All-Pro wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. in 2016 to suffocating arguably the league’s best all-around pass-catcher in Pittsburgh Steelers wideout Antonio Brown during Week 2 of the 2017 campaign, Rhodes has made it explicitly clear who of the many fine cornerbacks should be at the top of the list.
And for those that still do not believe the previous statement, please allow me to explain.
There was once a time when the Vikings’ cornerback situation was an absolute disaster. Antoine Winfield, who could very well be the best tackling cornerback in recent NFL history, was getting older and had clearly lost a step by the 2012 season. As a result, Minnesota was forced to field a cornerback lineup that included the likes of Chris Cook, A.J. Jefferson and Josh Robinson.
Cook, as we all know, is still trying to figure out what an interception is; Jefferson was a regular dumpster fire in coverage and Robinson, likely the most successful of the trio, was simply not physical enough in coverage to handle the likes of Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery.
Simply put, it didn’t take a rocket scientist to know that the cornerback position was in dire need of improvement. And that is exactly what general manager Rick Spielman and then-head coach Leslie Frazier did during the 2013 draft — address one of the most important positions in football with the No. 25 overall pick.
Spielman, who has since become widely known for brokering deals to acquire early-round selections, sent offensive weapon Percy Harvin to the Seattle Seahawks on March 12, 2013, effectively beginning the end of Minnesota’s misery at the cornerback position.
The trade, however, was not well received by the vast majority of fans. Harvin, who is best known for his dynamic play-making ability, was beloved in Minnesota — and rightfully so.
For much of his Vikings career (specifically in 2011) he had been the staple of the Minnesota offense, so when Spielman sent one of the most versatile playmakers to Seattle in order to gain an extra first-round selection, fans were not happy.
Over four years later, it seems fair to say that the fans who reacted in a hostile manner to the announcement of the deal owe the Vikings GM an apology.
Harvin went on to win a Super Bowl ring for the Seahawks in 2013, but he was rarely a factor as a result of a handful of injuries. He started just four regular season games for Seattle across two seasons, netting a grand total of 242 yards on 34 touches.
His finest moment with the Seahawks did come during the biggest game of the 2013 season, an 87-yard kick return touchdown in Super Bowl XLVIII to essentially put away the Denver Broncos. They would go on to win 43-8 and clinch their franchise’s first title.
Harvin certainly picked a good time to notch his lone postseason kick return touchdown, but countless fans in both Minnesota and Seattle remember the Florida product as more of a headache — pun definitely intended — than an asset.
It has become quite clear what Spielman was thinking since the deal between him and Seahawks general manager John Schneider became official. The Vikings, a team with a history of off-field issues, were tired of Harvin’s antics, making him expendable. And with Seattle’s loaded roster ready to contend for a world championship, the Minnesota general manager made one of the most underrated moves of his professional career.
Rhodes, who stood at 6-foot-1 and tipped the scales at 210 pounds as a prospect, became increasingly appealing as he worked his way through the draft process.
His athleticism was — and quite frankly still is — off the charts, as Rhodes ranked in at least the 90th percentile in five separate combine workouts. In addition to deceptive speed and ridiculous bounce, Rhodes also possesses excellent length — which has been on full display throughout his Vikings career.
“Rhodes thrives in physical press coverage, something very few college players can put on their resume. At times his tackling technique is questionable, but Rhodes will make his living locking up boundary receivers with a balanced and strong jam followed up by enough speed to stick in their hip pocket. Just don’t ask him to play in zone, because Rhodes shows tight movements when forced to pass receivers to a separate area. His game is somewhat scheme-dependent” — Lance Zierlein, NFL.com.
Many Vikings fans were more intrigued with former New York Jets cover man Dee Milliner and current Atlanta Falcons cornerback Desmond Trufant, but both players were off the board by the time Minnesota selected at No. 23.
Instead of selecting Rhodes with his initial 2013 first-round pick, Spielman took draft slider Sharrif Floyd, an exceptionally talented 3-technique with one of the quickest bursts off the line of scrimmage amongst defensive tackles. Unfortunately for Floyd and the Vikings, his career appears to be in jeopardy now due to nerve damage from surgery complications, significantly limiting his production since he arrived in the league.
While the Floyd selection — or the later Cordarrelle Patterson pick — have not necessarily worked out in ideal fashion, the middle man of the group certainly has. Rhodes entered the league with a metric ton of weight on his shoulders. Fans expected him to step in immediately and solve the coverage issues that plagued the Vikings secondary.
Charged with covering all-world wide receiver Calvin Johnson in his first professional game, Rhodes struggled. His physical nature has led to countless pass interference penalties in his career, but the former first-round pick continued to laugh it off, putting in the work necessary to assure that he would be able to compete against the likes of the NFL’s best one day.
He consistently improved over his initial three seasons, showing very distinct flashes of All-Pro potential. Despite everyone in his ear — from coaches to teammates to fans — Rhodes continued to work his tail off, using boxing gloves to improve his grabby nature.
Following an up-and-down rookie season, Rhodes finally began his ascension to the top on Sept. 28, 2014. Minnesota, now playing under a recently-hired Mike Zimmer, had opened the season at 1-2. The Vikings had shown signs of improvement under their new head coach, but they were still lacking the consistent shutdown cornerback that has become almost essential in the contemporary NFL.
Atlanta was up next on the team’s schedule, which has meant one thing more than anything else over the past half-decade or so — good luck stopping Julio Jones.
Jones, the No. 6 overall pick in 2011, had already established himself as one of the league’s top wideouts. His talent was clear to even the most fair-weather of football fans, as the Alabama product had dominated one-on-one matchups when healthy. And if the Vikings were to get back to the .500 mark that day, they were going to need their first-round investment to step up in a big way — and he did.
While he was not asked to follow Jones in either of their first two matchups, Rhodes did an exceptional job containing the Pro Bowl talent. Quarterback Matt Ryan, likely aware of his tendency to grab, targeted Rhodes four times in coverage, but the Florida State product didn’t bat an eye. He stayed disciplined despite the wide array of route-running techniques Jones threw at him.
This was the day that the Rhodes Closed for the first time.
Since that late September game in 2014 Rhodes has evolved into the ultimate press-cover cornerback. His humble attitude very clearly was getting to his opponents, and as he continued to hone his craft, Rhodes skyrocketed up the ranks at his position.
Unlike other Florida State cornerbacks, Rhodes went about his business in a relatively quiet manner, allowing his performance to do the talking.
And, again, it showed.
Teams began throwing away from him, instead targeting 2015 first-round pick Trae Waynes — a player with a distinctly similar size-athleticism combination. And after shutting out then-Carolina Panthers wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin and silencing Beckham Jr., he finally began to receive the respect he deserved.
But there was still more work to be done if he wanted to truly fulfill the rather ambiguous definition of a “shutdown cornerback.” In order to garner the respect of the entire league, Rhodes would need to repeat his 2016 campaign in 2017.
And, to keep it simple, he has done just that and much, much more.
Through 13 games and 464 coverage snaps in 2017, Rhodes has allowed only two touchdowns — both occurring against the Detroit Lions and Marvin Jones on Thanksgiving — and a ridiculous completion percentage of 53 percent.
But to truly understand his emerging greatness, one must understand that opposing teams quite literally scheme away from him. He has received four or fewer targets in six games in 2017, registering his first definitive shutout — zero targets — against Mitchell Trubisky and the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field earlier this year.
He has battled all the way to the top of his position, running straight through many of the greatest wide receivers in the league today.
So, what exactly is a shutdown cornerback, you ask? Well, take a look at Rhodes — humble, consistent, passionate and resilient. These are the traits that are apparent in every great cover man in the NFL, both past and present.
And after watching every snap of his professional career to date, it’s safe to say that Xavier Rhodes, a product of Miami Norland High School, is currently the most dominant cornerback in professional football — and, from an objective standpoint, it truly isn’t even close, folks.
Statistics courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference and NFL Combine Spider Chart courtesy of Mockdraftable.
For more Minnesota Vikings analysis and news, follow BJ Reidell on Twitter @RobertReidell and subscribe to “About the Labor: A Minnesota Vikings Podcast” available on iTunes, Stitcher, CastBox and YouTube.
