Their pass defense improved greatly in head coach Mike Zimmer's first season, but all the Vikings had to do was look around their division to determine that their secondary could use more reinforcements.
The Packers have MVP Aaron Rodgers throwing to Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb. Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford has his own dynamic duo of wide receivers in Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate. And say what you want about Jay Cutler, but the Bears boast Alshon Jeffery and now Kevin White, Chicago's first-round selection.
So Thursday night — during an uncharacteristically quiet first round at Winter Park that saw the team select just one player for once while hanging on to running back Adrian Peterson — the Vikings picked the prospect that pretty much every draft analyst predicted they would, snatching Michigan State cornerback Trae Waynes with the No. 11 overall pick.
"You watch Chicago take the receiver from West Virginia at [No. 7], and knowing the receivers that we face in Green Bay and knowing the receivers that we face in Detroit … we're going to have to play some good defense," Vikings General Manager Rick Spielman said. "We were able to really improve last year and I think adding a player like Trae Waynes will definitely upgrade our defense."
A native of Kenosha, Wis., Waynes played in 36 games over three years with the Spartans, starting in 27. In 2014, his junior year, he picked off three passes, broke up eight passes and made 46 tackles. Waynes finished his Michigan State career with six interceptions.
Waynes was voted first-team All-Big Ten by coaches and media in 2014. He was also a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award, given to the top defensive back in college football.
Waynes, listed at 6-feet and 186 pounds, ran the 40-yard dash in 4.31 seconds at the scouting combine, fastest among defensive backs. His performance in spandex solidified him as the top corner in this class in the eyes of many draft analysts. The majority of those same analysts also had the Vikings selecting him in their mock drafts.
The Vikings didn't hide their affection for Waynes. They spent time with him at the combine and Spielman and Zimmer traveled to Michigan State's campus to work him out. Waynes was also one of the team's "top-30" visits, checking out Winter Park in early April.