Mike Zimmer has earned the reputation as a cornerback whisperer when it comes to molding young players at that position. The Vikings are banking on his magic touch in rebuilding on the fly a group that is young and inexperienced.
To no great surprise, the Vikings selected two cornerbacks with their first four draft picks and three total in their top eight. Zimmer's standard quip when asked how many corners he needs — "just one more," the head coach jokes — has never been more on brand than now.
The Vikings lacked bodies at cornerback before the draft. They solved that issue this weekend. Now, Zimmer must nurture rapid development in a group of mostly unproven youngsters while facing the real possibility of no formal offseason and knowing his defense will encounter a gantlet of top-tier quarterbacks this season, including Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Russell Wilson, Deshaun Watson and Aaron Rodgers all in road games.
The whisperer has a big challenge on his plate.
If ranking positions by importance, cornerback falls second or third on that list in this era of air-it-out offense. It's awfully hard to hide a bad or inexperienced cornerback. They stick out like a fluorescent yellow car on a freeway.
The Vikings are basically starting from scratch after losing their top three cornerbacks on the depth chart in Xavier Rhodes, Trae Waynes and Mackensie Alexander this offseason. Their departures weren't unexpected, but replacing them falls on the development of guys still trying to gain their footing in the league.
Mike Hughes, the presumptive No. 1 corner, suffered a broken vertebra in his neck at the end of last season. The team expects a full recovery and Hughes has shown promise when he's on the field, but the former first-round pick's résumé includes a torn ACL and a neck injury in his first two seasons.
Holton Hill and Kris Boyd are two candidates for increased roles, but it's hard to know if they are capable of being full-time starters.