Rookie cornerback Trae Waynes has not made as much of an impact as some members of the Vikings draft class who were selected after him last spring. But as his first season in the NFL nears its conclusion, Waynes considers it a success.
"It was a good year for me to take in a lot from veterans like Terence [Newman] and Xavier [Rhodes] and to be able to learn from them for the future," the first-round draft pick said Thursday, three days before Sunday's clash with the Green Bay Packers.
Waynes did not see the field on defense in four of his first seven NFL games. But in his past seven games, he has averaged 20.3 defensive snaps per game. Nearly half of those came in his first career start, the Week 14 loss to the Arizona Cardinals.
Coach Mike Zimmer said he has seen progress from Waynes throughout the season.
"He has a better understanding of what we're asking of corners," Zimmer said. "But he still has things he has to continue to work on."
Zimmer said the biggest thing has been Waynes learning that he has to be even tighter in man coverage in the NFL than he was in college. He added that it is still something that Waynes needs to work on. And the 23-year-old agreed.
"As a DB, that's what you have to do," he said. "You have to cover guys close."
Zimmer said the play of Newman, who has started every game at age 37, has had "a lot" to do with the team's top pick being relegated to reserve duty. But while waiting his turn on defense, Waynes has been a valuable member of the Vikings' two special-teams coverage units. He leads the Vikings with 14 tackles on special teams.
