Inside The Vikings

Vikings-Bears Will Showcase Two of NFL's Best Rookie Cornerbacks

The Vikings' Jeff Gladney and the Bears' Jaylon Johnson have bright futures in the NFC North.

Will Ragatz

Heading into this year's NFL Draft, it was obvious that the Vikings needed a cornerback or two. They had lost Xavier Rhodes, Trae Waynes, and Mackensie Alexander in free agency, and needed young talent to add to a room that was basically down to Mike Hughes and Holton Hill.

Knowing how much he values them, it seemed like a strong possibility that Mike Zimmer would talk Rick Spielman into using one of the team's two first-round picks on a corner. But with those picks not coming until late in the first round, it was pretty clear that neither of the top two corners in the class – Ohio State's Jeff Okudah and Florida's C.J. Henderson – would fall to them. That meant the Vikings would have to choose from the second tier, which included players like Damon Arnette, A.J. Terrell, Kristian Fulton, Jeff Gladney, Jaylon Johnson, Noah Igbinoghene, and Trevon Diggs.

They weren't the only NFC North team in need of help at corner. The Lions, picking third overall, needed a replacement for Darius Slay. The Bears didn't have a first-round pick, but could use one of their two second-rounders to potentially find a replacement for Prince Amukamara. In a division where every team has an elite receiver, it's not surprising that each of those three teams wound up taking a corner with one of their first two picks.

The Lions snagged Okudah at No. 3, as expected. Henderson, Terrell, and Arnette also went in the top 20. The Vikings went wide receiver first, taking Justin Jefferson at No. 22 (which has worked out quite well), and then traded back to No. 31. They ended up taking Gladney, making the TCU product the fifth and final corner taken in the first round. 19 picks later, the Bears took Johnson. In total, nine CBs went in the first and second rounds.

Halfway through the season, most of the rookie corners have struggled. It's a position where players frequently start slowly due to the quality of the quarterbacks and receivers in the NFL, and it's an especially difficult transition without preseason games.  Even elite prospects like Okudah and Henderson have had plenty of ugly moments.

With that said, many members of the 2020 CB class have shown some positive signs as well. Two of the better rookies will be on display in primetime during Monday night's Vikings-Bears showdown: Gladney and Johnson. Given that they were the fifth and sixth corners picked and play in the same division, the two will undoubtedly be compared and analyzed against each other for years to come.

The Vikings chose Gladney over Johnson and others because they were enamored with his physicality and competitiveness. An injury in training camp slowed his progress, but Gladney has been steadily improving over the course of this season and put together easily his best performance in the NFL last Sunday.

Gladney has been outstanding as a tackler all year, which is something Zimmer values heavily in corners. He leads all NFL cornerbacks in PFF run defense grade, regularly making plays near the line of scrimmage. He had some early struggles in coverage, but was excellent in that area against the Lions. Gladney has been playing a lot of slot corner for the Vikings with Hughes on IR, and he appears to be growing more and more comfortable in that spot. Overall, Gladney's 60.8 PFF grade trails only Terrell among rookie corners with at least 200 snaps played. 

Johnson has been fantastic for the Bears in the first half, out-performing his second-round draft slot. He has been heavily targeted by opposing QBs, likely due to the strong play of his teammate Kyle Fuller, but has held those QBs to a 48.1 completion percentage, which leads all rookie corners. His 12 passes defended not only leads the class, but is tied for second among all NFL corners. 

Johnson got off to a strong start with a key pass breakup in Week 1 and hasn't looked back, showing impressive technique and playmaking skills. The Utah product might've been a first-round pick if not for concerns about a lingering shoulder injury. The shoulder hasn't caused any problems for Johnson, and he's showing the league that he probably should've been taken higher than he was.

There are countless matchups, players, and storylines to follow during Monday night's game in Chicago, but keep an eye on Gladney and Johnson. They're two of the better rookie corners in the league and appear to be well on their way to becoming outstanding NFL players. The Vikings have been encouraged by the recent play of Gladney, but they need him to keep it up. If Johnson continues to make plays at such a high rate, it's not out of the question that the Vikings could eventually look back at this draft and wonder if they made the wrong choice.

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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

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