Welcome to SKOL Search 2025!

This is the fifth year I have done SKOL Search with the sole mission being to find NFL Draft prospects for the Minnesota Vikings. Throughout the entire process, this will be the most comprehensive draft guide with a focus on the Vikings.

Each year, I scout incoming draft prospects from a neutral perspective and try to see how they could fit with Minnesota. This will be general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah's fourth NFL Draft and we have a good sense of what he likes in a prospect.

Going into the offseason, the Vikings have just three official selections with a fourth likely coming with a compensatory selection in the third round. However they choose to use them, they need to make the most out of their limited resources.

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Quincy Riley

• Louisville
• Transfer from Middle Tennessee State
• Height: 5104
• Weight: 196
• Class: Sixth-year Senior
• Recruiting info: 3-star recruit in 2019 class per 247 Sports
• Stats: 159 tackles (106 solo), 6.0 TFLs, 2.5 sacks, 13 interceptions, 34 passes defended, 1 forced fumble, 2 touchdowns
• Games watched: Miami 2024, Clemson 2024, Pitt 2024

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Strengths

• Aggressiveness: Riley is a dog in coverage. Whether it's playing off coverage or press-man, he has a knack for attacking the receiver and going for the ball. Throughout the route, Riley stays in the hip pocket and has no problem getting in their grill.
• Ball Production: Riley had a very quick, instinctive trigger when it comes to attacking the football. He has experience with 1,622 pass coverage snaps across six seasons, but capitalized with 13 interceptions and 34 passes defended. Riley will attack the football consistently and with malice.
• Fluidity: Riley was used in a variety of ways at Louisville. He's got enough versatility to play both on the outside and in the slot due to his quick feet and oily hips.
• Play On An Island: Riley was consistently asked to play on an island for the Cardinals and was trusted on both the field and boundary side against really good competition.

'22-'24 Comp % Allowed – min. 140 targets

1. Quinyon Mitchell 38.6%
2. Quincy Riley 39.5%
3. Benjamin Morrison 41.0%
4. Trey Amos 41.2%

Amos/Riley both headed to @seniorbowl – just pain in the ass CBs to get catches on. Stats via TruMedia. #2025NFLDraft

— Ben Fennell (@BenFennell_NFL) January 23, 2025

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Weaknesses

• Tackling/Run Defense: Despite displaying high effort in this area, Riley consistently puts himself in poor situations when it comes to playing the run and tackling. He doesn't take good angles, nor fill the right gaps consistently, allowing running backs to break contain. When tackling, Riley doesn't always display great form.
• Frame: Riley might weigh 196 lbs and is physical, but he does have a slender frame that can be taken advantage of in the run game and by big X-receivers.
• Off-Ball Coverage: Riley is a versatile player, but he does get a little too far back on his feet and it slows down his reaction time when triggering downhill.

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Overview

Trait	Grade
Man	8.7/10
Zone	8.3/10
Hips/Fluidity	8.6/10
Recognition	13.2/15
Quickness	8.3/10
Run Support	7.4/10
Speed	8.8/10
Recovery	8.3/10
Tackling	3.5/5
Ball Skills	9.2/10
Grade	84.3 Second Round Grade

Riley is an easy addition to the All Forno team. and one of my favorite cornerback prospects that I"ve ever scouted. His aggressiveness, ball skills, and ability to play both man and zone coverage will translate to any defense.

For the Vikings, Riley would be a perfect fit, especially if defensive coordinator Brian Flores wants to shift to a more man-coverage approach. Riley is very similar to Mekhi Blackmon, who the Vikings selected in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft, except he weighs nearly 20 lbs more.

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