What the Vikings are getting in Mekhi Blackmon
The Minnesota Vikings were able to cash in an elite prospect while also filling a major team need in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft. The Vikings selected CB Mekhi Blackmon out of USC with the 102nd overall pick in the draft, reuniting with his college teammate Jordan Addison. Blackmon makes plenty of […]
The Minnesota Vikings were able to cash in an elite prospect while also filling a major team need in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft. The Vikings selected CB Mekhi Blackmon out of USC with the 102nd overall pick in the draft, reuniting with his college teammate Jordan Addison.
Blackmon makes plenty of sense for the Vikings after the team traded pick No. 87 to the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for picks No. 102, 164 and 222.
Iron Sharpens Iron
Blackmon made three stops in his collegiate career, transferring from College of San Mateo to Colorado, but finished the 2022 season with the Trojans. Interestingly enough, he sought out Addison each day in practice to sharpen his game.
With Brian Flores taking over as the Vikes’ defensive coordinator, Minnesota was in need of cornerbacks capable of shutting down receivers in man coverage. Blackmon did exactly that with USC.
In fact, Pro Football Focus graded Blackmon as the fourth-best cornerback in man coverage and third in zone coverage. Overall, Blackmon checked in as the nation’s second-highest graded cornerback with a PFF grade of 90.6.
Blackmon joins a competitive cornerback room consisting of Byron Murphy Jr., Joejuan Williams, Andrew Booth Jr., Akayleb Evans, Kaylon Barnes and Tay Gowan. With a strong training camp, Blackmon could be vying for a prominent role in the secondary early in the season.
