Vikings

Trevon Moehrig is a Plug and Play Replacement for Anthony Harris

Photo Credit: Brett Rojo (USA TODAY Sports)

The Minnesota Vikings once again have uncertainty at safety. Anthony Harris signed with the Philadelphia Eagles this offseason despite the Vikings’ rumored interest in bringing him back, and Harrison Smith‘s future isn’t guaranteed either. The perennial Pro-Bowler will be turning 32 and entering his final season under contract.

This year Vikings fans saw Harris go from leading the NFL in interceptions to having none. His 2020 unfortunately petered out with a couple of high-profile struggles. Remember when he failed to tackle Alvin Kamara when Kamara scored six touchdowns on Christmas Day? Or how he allowed Detroit Lions receiver Marvin Jones to get behind him in Week 17?

This year, the Vikings need to invest early in the draft and get a safety to pair with Harrison Smith next season.

Trevon Moehrig could be a perfect fit. He showcased his incredible awareness at Texas Christian University, diagnosing offensive play designs. He can blow up a running back on a swing pass or just easily double up a wide out in the deep third of the field.

He was often the deep man in Fort Worth, providing cover for his cornerbacks downfield and making plays on the ball when he needed to. His incredible speed allows him to backpedal at will and quickly get into correct positioning. He also exhibited his tremendous ball skills in this role, recording seven interceptions and 28 passes defended while playing for the Horned Frogs.

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Despite excelling in this centerfield role, Moehrig can play close to the line and excels in both man and zone coverage.

He possesses a high level of awareness and intelligence on the field. Moehrig can anticipate the route concepts opposing wideouts will run and regularly puts his corners into the correct positioning. He’s the type of on-field leader that could quickly develop into the captain of a secondary.

Its not all good news, he is occasionally liable to bite on a double move. However, with the lack of safeties going one-on-one with wideouts in the Zimmer defense, this flaw can be hidden very well in both single-high and double-high safety sets.

In run defense, Moehrig is adequate. He improved tremendously this past season but still has a tendency to get a little aggressive on his hits, charging downfield and whiffing on the ball carrier. While he isn’t as hard of a tackler as some of the other safeties in the class, like Paris Ford, Moehrig can lay a hit on ball carriers when they test him.

With his familiarity playing deep safety in a centerfield position, Moehrig could theoretically be a one-for-one replacement for Anthony Harris while providing better tackling. He could slot in next to Smith and allow the veteran safety to play his more natural role closer to the line of scrimmage.

The Vikings will have to move up into the early second round to land Moehrig, using their stockpile of picks to get one of the premier safeties in this class. But this pick would be more than worth it. They would be getting a player who can contribute right now and also be an integral part of the secondary in the future.

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