Every team hopes to get an immediate impact player with their first-round pick in the NFL Draft. If things unfold accordingly, ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. sees the Minnesota Vikings accomplishing that goal when they’re on the clock on April 28.
The biggest need for the team right now is cornerback. They’ve missed at the position with premium draft picks, and the previous regime attempted to hold everything together with one-year prove-it deals—or, basically, paperclips and bubble gum.
But Kiper’s mock draft board is taking another shot at the ever-elusive cornerback position on a player that could come right in and be a “Day 1 starter” for the Vikings. That player is Washington’s Trent McDuffie.
Kiper writes:
“McDuffie is the real deal; the stat you’ll see most often is that he didn’t allow a single touchdown in coverage over the past two seasons, and he goes all out on every play. Expect him to be a Day 1 starter”
McDuffie, a First-Team All-Pac-12 player, could make a real difference in the Vikings secondary by giving them a legitimate No. 1 option. He compiled eight pass deflections, two interceptions, 94 tackles, three forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries.
Don’t get caught up in the lack of eye-popping stats with it mostly being due to teams not throwing in McDuffie’s direction. Bad things happened when opposing quarterbacks attacked his side of the field.
We’ll see if that holds true at the next level.
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