Vikings

Are Cornerbacks the NFL's New Role Players?

Photo Credit: Matt Blewett (USA TODAY Sports)

Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah met with the media on Wednesday morning following Tuesday afternoon’s introductory press conference for edge rusher Za’Darius Smith. Buzzwords from Adofo-Mensah such as “competitive rebuild” grabbed a majority of local headlines, adding more fuel to fire that this new regime is conducting itself in a similar fashion as the one spearheaded by former GM Rick Spielman.

You might’ve even read a piece or two over the past few days regarding Adofo-Mensah trying to toe the line between rebuilding and contending, which some folks tend to believe Spielman did as well during his final few seasons in Minnesota.

  • Was Spielman looking towards the future when he traded the Vikings’ 2017 first-round draft pick for Sam Bradford? (The same NFL Draft where Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson went 10th and 12th overall.)
  • How about when he traded Minnesota’s 2021 second-round pick for six games of Yannick Ngakoue?
  • Did Spielman have Minnesota’s future in mind when he traded 2022’s fourth-round pick for backup tight end Chris Herndon?

Don’t be fooled by the latest installment of revisionist history from the local media. Spielman demonstrated a track record of mortgaging the Vikings’ future with irresponsible win-now moves that proved to be all for naught. So before we put Adofo-Mensah and Spielman in the same sentence as trying to simultaneously rebuild and contend, it’s important to keep the former GM’s shortsighted decisions in mind.

Now that we got that out of the way….

Adofo-Mensah was asked during Wednesday’s press conference about the thought process that went into prioritizing the pass rush over the secondary.

“Have you seen the AFC West?” he responded. “I think everybody knows pass rush is a priority. I don’t think that’s something that I’m inventing.”

With the Vikings having just Cameron Dantzler, Kris Boyd, and Harrison Hand under contract right now, there’s certainly a need for reinforcements at cornerback. But just how critical is addressing Minnesota’s secondary when there are so many different facets of the defense that need to be fixed?

Was it a coincidence that Adofo-Mensah’s first free-agent signing was a nose tackle who was graded by Pro Football Focus as the sixth-best run defender among all defensive linemen last season? Or does Adofo-Mensah believe that in order to build a capable defense, it starts with building the unit inside-out from the trenches, to the backers, to the secondary?

Ultimately, if teams can run the ball at will on your defense, what difference does the caliber of your cornerbacks make? The same can be said about having elite pass rushers like as Za’Darius Smith and Danielle Hunter. If your defense can’t force third-and-longs by consistently stopping the run, how much of an impact can pass rushers have if the defense doesn’t create obvious passing situations?

As the old saying goes, You have to earn the right to rush the passer. And you earn that right by stopping the run, first and foremost. Since 2020, only four teams have allowed more rushing yards than the Vikings. Make no mistake about it, the Harrison Phillips and Jordan Hicks signings were Adofo-Mensah prioritizing the Vikings’ run defense above all else.

Once a defense has shown that they can effectively limit an opposing offense’s running game, we come to a philosophical fork in the road — the same crossroads that Adofo-Mensah was asked about when prioritizing pass rush over secondary.

If you ask the folks at Pro Football Focus, their Wins Above Replacement (WAR) model has defensive backs as the third-highest positional value in the NFL, trailing quarterbacks and wide receivers.

But do most NFL teams subscribe to prioritizing their secondary over their front?

Since drafting Nick Bosa second overall in the 2019 NFL Draft, the San Francisco 49ers are a perfect example of a defense that made a conscious decision to hang their hat on creating as much havoc with their front four. And in case you forgot, Adofo-Mensah was part of San Francisco’s decision-making process to build their defense as such.

By doing so, a defense is putting its trust in their collective game wreckers’ hands to create pressure and make the quarterback as uncomfortable as possible.

Back in the summer of 2016, Aaron Rodgers was asked by Bill Simmons, “Would you rather have an A- group of receivers and running backs but a C- offensive line? Or an A- offensive line but D- receivers?”

The back-to-back MVP didn’t hesitate with his response.

“A- offensive line,” he said. “If you can protect the quarterback, you’re gonna have an opportunity to find guys open. The defense just can’t cover for that long.”

Speaking of coincidences: Is it a coincidence that San Francisco’s nightmarish front four and overlooked secondary has completely dominated Rodgers in the playoffs over the past three years? After playing the 49ers in the 2019 NFC Championship game and the 2021 NFC divisional round, the Packers’ offense averaged 15 points and Rodgers has a total passer rating of 95.9 in both losses. The same guy who led the league with passer ratings of 121.5 and 111.9 over the past two seasons.

Of course, every defense wants to have both a strong pass rush and a strong secondary. But considering how difficult it is to build a defense with high-level talent at all three levels, organizations are beginning to unapologetically draw their line in the sand.

In San Francisco’s win against the Packers in the 2021 postseason, the 49ers’ starting corners were former undrafted free agent Emmanuel Moseley, former fourth-round pick Dontae Johnson, and former undrafted free agent K’Waun Williams. Not exactly a who’s-who of NFL cornerbacks.

Despite having below-average cornerbacks throughout its roster — and that’s putting it nicely — the San Francisco 49ers had one of the best defenses in the entire league last season.

  • Ninth in points allowed
  • Third in yards allowed
  • Sixth in passing yards allowed
  • Seventh in rushing yards allowed

With the way free agency has gone thus far for the Vikings, Adofo-Mensah appears to be following the same defensive blueprint that he helped build with the 49ers. And his priorities have been clear for that side of the ball:

1. Stop the run (Harrison Phillips & Jordan Hicks).

2. Get after the quarterback without blitzing (Za’Darius Smith and retaining Danielle Hunter).

So before you put Sauce Gardner, Trent McDuffie, or Derek Stingley‘s name in sharpie on your 2022 Minnesota Vikings Mock Draft, allow me to forewarn you. Unless the Vikings are convinced that any cornerback that’s still on the board at pick No. 12 has the potential of being a true shutdown corner a la Jaire Alexander, Jalen Ramsey, or A.J. Terrell, don’t be surprised if Adofo-Mensah instead decides to add yet another game-wrecker to his front. Someone like Georgia defensive tackle Jordan Davis or any of the elite edge rushers who are expected to be available.

As Skoldiers witnessed firsthand over the years with Spielman and Zimmer, drafting role players such as Trae Waynes, Mike Hughes, or Jeff Gladney at cornerback in the first round can backfire quickly. Ultimately, teams like the 49ers are beginning to wave the white flag with their secondary, and the most valuable resource of a first-round pick is better suited elsewhere.

Could any of these rookie corners become stars in the NFL? Absolutely. But considering the sheer star power at receiver throughout the league, more and more teams are beginning to feel like they’ll have a better chance at disrupting opposing offenses by winning the battle up front — as opposed to bringing a knife to a gunfight against the NFL’s alpha receivers.

Would it be nice to add a shutdown corner to Minnesota’s secondary this offseason? No doubt about it. But the need at corner might not be nearly as pressing for Adofo-Mensah and the defense he’s building for Ed Donatell and Mike Pettine.

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