Doug Farrar believes the Vikings found a gem in the fourth
The Vikings used pick 108 in the fourth round to select Oregon senior cornerback Khyree Jackson — and it appears as though he’s got fans on the national side of things as well.
Doug Farrar of The Athletic dropped some film over the weekend on Jackson, suggesting the rookie corner is a pest and should help shore up a passing defense that allowed a 95.2 passer rating last season (highest in the NFC North and seventh-highest in the NFL).
Oregon CB Khyree Jackson is a pest, and I mean that in a good way. Once he’s on you in press/match, it’s hard to peel him off. The Vikings got themselves a steal in the fourth round at a position of NEED. pic.twitter.com/jM7vWqg9Bu
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) June 30, 2024
Jackson is on the tall side for a corner (6-foot-4, 194 lbs), but uses that to his advantage against the sideline and in tackling both receivers and out of the backfield.
Among corners with at least 300 coverage snaps last season, Jackson’s 77.4 PFF grade ranked sixth in the Pac-12, and only one — UCLA’s Alex Johnson (now with the Giants) — allowed a lower NFL passer rating against than Jackson’s 41.6.
Jackson played 133 pass snaps in man coverage last season for the Ducks, allowing just eight receptions on 18 targets with three pass breakups, one interception and an NFL passer rating of 38.2 (lowest among Pac-12 corners with at least 300 total coverage snaps).
Jackson is the first corner the Vikings selected in the fourth round or later since taking Cam Bynum in the fourth in 2021. Before that, the Vikings took Harrison Hand in the fifth in 2020, Kris Boyd in the seventh in 2019 and Jack Tocho in the seventh back in 2017.
(Akayleb Evans was listed as a defensive back in the fourth round in 2022 per Pro Football Reference.)
As a treat, here are some of his highlights from last season at Oregon:
Dwight McGlothern went undrafted this spring to the surprise of more than just a few folks after a strong final season at Arkansas, and Matt Fries of Zone Coverage wonders how he might fit in a Vikings cornerback club that is crowded, but behind Byron Murphy Jr., young and unproven.
Where Does Dwight McGlothern Fit in the Vikings CB Room?
McGlothern was the highest-graded cornerback by PFF coverage grades last season (91.8), and while he’s plenty young (22 all season), he did not grade out well across the board at the combine in his measurables — both within his control (shuttle, jumps, cone drills) and out (arm length).
The Vikings have not shied away from taking corners with some physical question marks — see Cameron Dantzler — but this is as a much lower price than the Round 3 pick used to select him in 2020.
Minnesota Vikings News and Links
Over at Purple Insider, Matthew Coller takes a deep dive into Mike Clay’s projections from ESPN, and how they paint the potential for the Vikings in 2024.
Analyzing Mike Clay’s Vikings Projections
Some of the key takeaways are how playing time will be divided at quarterback — again, a projection — as well as how the rest of the offense will be divvied up and also a look at how defensive newcomers will fare in their first season in purple.
At Zone Coverage, Tom Schreier suggests that George Kittle being part of the Netflix documentary ‘Receiver’ is a disservice to Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson. The documentary includes Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson as well as Davante Adams, Deebo Samuel and Amon-Ra St. Brown, but the addition of Kittle doesn’t sit particularly well with Schreier, who thinks a tight end version of the show would have been a more compelling option if not for the Niners star’s inclusion.
George Kittle’s Inclusion In ‘Receiver’ Is A Disservice to T.J. Hockenson
Schreier has some fun intel on a tight-end retreat set up by Kittle and others that includes Hockenson, and also fleshes out some connective tissue between the two former Iowa Hawkeyes.
Even if the Vikings didn’t sign Jefferson to a long-term extension as quickly as some fans might have liked, they’ve still managed to avoid some of the drama that has plagued other teams and wideouts looking to resolve contract situations — one way or the other.
The Dallas Morning News suggests CeeDee Lamb likely won’t report to training camp without a new contract. Brandon Aiyuk, who is one of many mouths to feed on a dynamic 49ers offense this season, suggested he’ll ‘probably’ be in a 49ers uniform this season in a recent episode of The Pivot podcast.
It gets crazier with Aiyuk, however — the wideout was spotted at LAX by TMZ Sports (never a good place to appear, in my opinion) where he reiterated that he’s just just chilling. “Everybody can rest easy,” Aiyuk told TMZ Sports. “We’ve got God on our side. Everybody rest easy.”
Brandon Aiyuk: I WANT TO BE A 49ER… ‘For Sure!!!’
Can you imagine what kind of drama would have been stirred up if this was Jefferson? It was already wild enough with entirely unsubstantiated rumors.
While not entirely Vikings-related, it’s cool to see fellow NFC North foes the Bears give safety Jonathan Owens some time away from the team to see his wife, decorated gymnast Simone Biles, compete in the Olympics later this month in Paris.
Team qualifying is on July 28, whereas the all-around final — where Biles is expected to perform well — is on Aug. 1.
Simone Biles: Bears granting husband Jonathan Owens time off from training camp to see Olympics
Biles also qualified for the Tokyo games in 2021, but COVID-19 rules didn’t allow Owens to make that trip.
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