Viktor
Well-known member
- Mar 19, 2019
- 2,552
- 0
Minnesota picked Gladney at No. 31 after trading back from No. 25 with San Francisco. The Vikings acquired a fourth-round pick (No. 117) and a fifth-rounder (No. 176) from the 49ers.
Gladney, a senior out of TCU, stands at 5-foot-10 and weighs in at 191 pounds. He started 10 of 12 games in 2019, totaling 31 tackles (24 solo), one interception and 1.5 tackles for loss. His 14 passes defensed led the conference.
While Gladney is a shorter cornerback, he was described by NFL draft analyst Charles Davis as playing with "great aggressiveness and intelligence."
The Athletic's Dane Brugler tabbed Gladney, the fifth overall cornerback picked Thursday, as the third-best cornerback in this year's class.
Zimmer has been known to excel at working with cornerbacks who are under 6-foot, such as former Cowboys, Bengals and Vikings defensive back Terence Newman.
"Gladney reminds me of a lot of guys who have played similarly for me in the past," Zimmer said. "Very good acceleration … tough, competitive kid … wants to challenge receivers and good in and out of the breaks.
"Long arms … I know he's a shorter guy, but he makes up for it with his toughness and his length," Zimmer added.
"There are specific traits you have to have to play corner in this defense," Spielman said. "Gladney fit every single trait we were looking for from a physical standpoint."