The Minnesota Vikings have nine picks going into the 2024 NFL Draft:
- First round, 11th overall
- Second round, 42nd overall
- Fourth round (from Detroit)
- Fourth round
- Fifth round (from Kansas City)
- Fifth round (from Cleveland)
- Sixth round (from Jacksonville)
- Sixth round (from Las Vegas)
- Seventh round (from Atlanta via Arizona)
To maximize these picks, the Vikings front office has a lot of homework to find who in this draft is a good fit for Minnesota.
With the questions surrounding the pass rush and quarterback, one question that may have to wait until day two or even day three is how the Vikings address the cornerback position. Missouri’s Kris Abrams-Draine gives the Vikings a potential answer.
Ball Skills
Abrams-Draine was recruited as a receiver in 2020 and transitioned to a defensive back in 2021. No matter which side of the ball, it gets no better than a one-on-one in the red zone with a chance to score.
Georgia motions the tight end away from the single-receiver side, and the pressure is on Abrams-Draine to make a play in space against 6’2″, 200-pound Rara Thomas.
Abrams-Draine, at the last second, squares up Thomas with inside leverage pre-snap. The pressure from the front forces Carson Beck to Thomas and gives Abrams-Draine a chance to show off his ability to make a play on the ball while it is in the air.
Thomas gives a three-step slant into the leverage of Abrams-Draine, giving him an opportunity to wrap around and get his hand on the football before Thomas can corral it.
Man coverage (concerns)
Let’s preface this with the fact that any crossers that stretch across the duration of the field are nightmares for any cornerback.
However, in this rep, Abrams-Draine is in soft-press against the compressed outside receiver lined up in the slot. This is a cover-one look, so Abrams-Draine is getting no help unless the safety is in a position to help on a vertical route.
Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint gives Abrams-Draine a quick jab inside, and he opens the gate to the inside immediately. Rosemy-Jacksaint gets a free release inside and gives Beck an easy target for a first down across the middle of the field.
Abrams-Draine is usually a disciplined cornerback, but there are times when he is inconsistent with his technique, and it leads to big plays down the field despite his ability. Even in the above clip, his recovery speed has him almost in position to make a play on the ball, but the ball from Beck was just good enough to move the chains.
Man coverage
Even when the ball isn’t thrown, something can be learned from how a defensive back prospect reacts to a receiver’s route.
In the above clip, Missouri is in man coverage across the board, shown by the safety’s motion toward the line of scrimmage on the late motion. As Vikings wide receiver Malik Knowles pushes vertically, Abrams-Draine stays patient with two kick-steps, allowing Knowles to show him where the route is going to take them.
When Knowles finally commits to trying to work back outside, Abrams-Draine holds his outside leverage and immediately gets into phase, running the route alongside Knowles.
Reading the body language of a receiver is pivotal, and as a former receiver himself, Abrams-Draine understands leverage as well as any defensive back coming out this cycle.
Ball tracking
Abrams-Draine was a burner in high school, and that long speed is on display when asked to cover routes down the field.
In the clip above, Missouri looks to be in a cover-three as they deal with the double post coming from the field side. With the safety staying attached to the slot post, Abrams-Draine is left one-on-one with the outside post as they look to push toward the end zone.
Beck fires the ball to his outside receiver on the step-up into the pocket, but Abrams-Draine stays disciplined as the receiver tries to eat his cushion. When the ball is released, Abrams-Draine makes a beeline to the receiver’s hip, tracks the football and gets a hand on the ball before it reaches the receiver.
Technique and physicality
Despite being new to the position, Abrams-Draine shows off sound technique at the position, especially in press coverage.
In the above clip, Kansas State faces a third-and-four, looking to extend the drive and at least get a field goal. The Wildcats line up in twins to spread out this Missouri defense, especially in the field where Abrams-Draine lines up one-on-one against Knowles, Kansas State’s number-one receiver.
The inside receiver to the field does a quick slant, opening up the space for Knowles to win against Abrams-Draine. He stays patient and gets his feet going while Knowles tries to set him up with an initial outside stem to work back inside. As Knowles tries to give Abrams-Draine a throw-by to give his quarterback a chance to get him the ball for the first down, Abrams-Draine keeps his balance and matches his physicality, forcing the quarterback to hold the ball and give the rush time to get home.
Playmaking
Playmakers make big-time plays in big-time moments.
In the above clip, Tennessee is driving down the field before the half, looking to tie the game before the half. Missouri’s quarters coverage stifles the initial play, forcing Joe Milton to check down to Jaylen Wright to gain something from the play.
Abrams-Draine falls off his coverage and puts his helmet on the football while linebacker Triston Newson wraps up Wright. The ensuing fumble was the only one for Wright in 2023, killing all momentum for the Volunteers. Tennessee didn’t score again in this game.
Recognition
Recognizing the play and how an offense can be trying to attack you is vital to the cornerback position.
In the above clip, Georgia condenses the trips side to the line of scrimmage, giving them more space to the field. Missouri calls a cover-three zone to catch Beck off-guard so close to the end zone. Zone looks to be the right call as Georgia tries to run underneath crossers and, for a second, it comes open underneath. Abrams-Draine spot-drops and realizes that there are no immediate threats to his zone. As he scans and recognizes the underneath crossing action, he shoots downhill and makes a form tackle to limit the damage to a minimal gain.
How does he fit with the Vikings?
Abrams-Draine is a smart, instinctual cornerback with good athletic traits to help his transition to the NFL. While smaller, his technique allows him to stay stride-for-stride with receivers, giving him upside as an outside corner.
The Vikings need talent on the backend, and giving them a smart cornerback like Abrams-Draine gives Flores another weapon to use on the backend.
His ability in man coverage, whether off-man or press, gives the Vikings options behind the usually aggressive front seven beyond their usual hot quarters and Tampa-2 looks.
