Mar 1, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Arkansas defensive back Dwight McGlothern (DB24) works out during the 2024 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Undrafted players have a storied history in Minnesota. The organization sent multiple undrafted players to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Center Mick Tingelhoff and defensive tackle John Randle belong to the upper echelon of their respective positions in league history. Most recently, wideout Adam Thielen has become a Vikings legend in his own right.
Undrafted Rookie Logs First-Team Reps
Sep 23, 2023; Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA; LSU Tigers tight end Mason Taylor (86) runs the ball against Arkansas Razorbacks defensive back Dwight McGlothern (2) during the game at Tiger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Clause-USA TODAY Sports
Excitement was huge last year when linebacker Ivan Pace entered the starting lineup and excelled in his rookie season as a defender in Brian Flores’ aggressive unit. The NFL selected 259 players, but 32 teams passed on the undersized tackle machine. A few months later, when Pace shined at training camp, 31 of those general managers surely regretted that.
Exactly one year later, the Vikings once again had some personnel issues on defense, and rookies could use that opportunity to compete for big roles by performing well. Having another Pace-like rookie performance seems unlikely, but the guy who could make it happen is Dwight McGlothern, the cornerback out of Arkansas.
Arkansas Razorbacks defensive back Dwight McGlothern (2) tackles Florida Gators wide receiver Kahleil Jackson (22) at Steve Spurrier Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL, on Saturday, November 4, 2023, in the first half against Arkansas. [Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun]
Matthew Coller, Si.com, wrote about the 22-year-old: “UDFA Dwight McGlothern, a tall cornerback who had seven INTs in his final two years at Arkansas, worked with the second and occasionally the first team on Monday. With the shortage of corners, he becomes a very interesting rookie to watch if the Vikings do not make a major move for a veteran.”
The issues at the cornerback position have been well-documented throughout the last few days and, quite frankly, throughout the past four years. Khyree Jackson’s tragic car accident and Mekhi Blackmon’s knee injury robbed two young and promising defenders of a chance to compete but also shrunk the number of available cornerbacks. In addition to that, veteran Shaquill Griffin suffered a minor injury and will miss a handful of practices.
Nov 12, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. (7) celebrates his interception with safety Camryn Bynum (24) against the New Orleans Saints in the fourth quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
All that opens chances for projected backups and practice squad players to make some noise. The Vikings employ nine cornerbacks in addition to Blackmon on IR:
Byron Murphy Jr.
Shaquill Griffin
Akayleb Evans
Andrew Booth Jr.
Duke Shelley
Dwight McGlotern
A.J. Green
Jaylin Williams
Jacobi Francis
The overall group isn’t inspiring. Starter Byron Murphy is a solid player, but behind him, the concerns begin. Griffin is currently unavailable, and it remains to be seen how much he has left in the tank. Injuries have bugged him in the last four campaigns.
Andrew Booth’s journey hasn’t lived up to his second-round draft status, and he might be in danger of losing his roster spot if someone can usurp him. Akayleb Evans benefits from the absences and could remain in the starting lineup after an up-and-down 2023 season. Duke Shelley has become a journeyman cornerback who keeps finding himself on the roster bubble rather than on the field.
Nov 11, 2023; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks defensive back Dwight McGlothern (2) celebrates his interception during the first quarter against the Auburn Tigers at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Rojo-USA TODAY Sports
That’s where McGlothern enters the conversation. He likely only needs to beat one of those players to earn a roster spot, and the starting unit isn’t far away, either.
After every draft, there are about a dozen players available who had high draft expectations. McGlothern and fellow undrafted rookie Gabriel Murphy surely belonged to that group, but neither was drafted.
McGlothern has a promising athletic profile, with the requisite length at 6-2 and a 4.47-second 40-yard dash, although he combined it with underwhelming broad and vertical jumps. After two seasons at LSU, McGlothern transferred to Arkansas, staying in the SEC. He registered seven interceptions in his last two collegiate seasons.
Sep 30, 2023; Arlington, Texas, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks defensive back Dwight McGlothern (2) breaks up a pass intended for Texas A&M Aggies wide receiver Jahdae Walker (9) during the first half at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
NFL scout Lance Zierlein wrote about the prospect before the draft: “Ball-hawking cornerback with the eyes, instincts and ball skills to flip the field against careless quarterbacks. McGlothern can press a little bit and handle some man coverage. However, he might be at his best in zone coverages, where he can scan the field and play chess with the route combinations and quarterbacks. He overlaps coverage areas to make plays on the football and has Cover 3 cornerback written all over him. McGlothern is passive as a run defender, which will slide him down the board for some teams. He possesses average speed and athleticism, but the skills are there to label him a Day 3 prospect with upside.”
If he can channel that upside, the Vikings could be very lucky to stumble into another early contributor from the pool of undrafted rookies. Expectations should not be raised quite yet, though, at least until he can string together multiple practices with the first team.
Editor’s Note: Information from Sports Reference CFB helped with this article.
Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and prefers Classic rock over other genres. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt
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Publish date : 2024-07-30 14:08:56
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