Xs and Os: How Drafted Cornerbacks Could Impact Vikings

[Viktor]

Where He Could Play: TCU Head Coach Gary Patterson said Gladney primarily played on the outside in college, where he shadowed larger receivers in different types of coverage.


But with Alexander gone as the primary slot cornerback, Hughes could see playing time there. So, too, could Gladney, as Vikings General Manager Rick Spielman recently said that the first-round pick is a candidate to line up inside.


Spielman noted that while Gladney is a potential option at the moment, the team will have to see how he adapts to the on-field pace once the Vikings can practice. Teams have not been going through Organized Team Activity practices due to the COVID-19 pandemic.


"I think the slot is probably the most difficult to learn because of the different combinations of the man and zone schemes that Zim' runs. Usually the outside is the easiest to learn," Spielman said. "But when you get into the nickel spot – and that's where we started to train Mike Hughes last year, playing a lot in there and expect him to play in there – I think, physically, that Gladney can definitely go in and play in the slot, as well.


"The slot part, or the nickel part of the defense, the hardest part, is the mental part. 'How quickly do you know the different combinations, the route combinations and how the coverages adjust behind you according to the route combinations where you don't have to think, where you can get into the [mindset where you can] just react and play. That's probably the most difficult part?' " Spielman added. "Now, you can do it on paper, and they're going to do it all throughout this virtual classroom. But to me, until you get out on the field and actually see it – and see it at full speed – and you actually have to physically do it, besides just doing it in your head, those [areas] are where we're going to have to get them caught up pretty quickly."


Coachspeak: "Gladney reminds me of a lot of guys who have played similarly for me in the past. 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."


— Vikings Head Coach Mike Zimmer


"I think that the young man has the temperament that I know Coach Zimmer likes for our corners to play with. He's a competitor. He does not want you to catch the ball; he's going to compete. He'll come up and support in the running game."


— Vikings Co-Defensive Coordinator Andre Patterson


Film Breakdown: Former Vikings player and coach Pete Bercich, now a Vikings Radio Network analyst, looked at some of Gladney's tape from TCU.


"In the red zone, he understands the coverage, understands there was a blitz and what the offense was going to do … to put himself in position [to force an incompletion]," Bercich said.


"He also has a nose for the football." Bercich added.