'The measurables are there' Vikings DC Brian Flores praises promising UDFA with a profile that can translate to on-field success
The Minnesota Vikings have made a living of finding UDFAs who make the roster. Since general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah took the job going into the 2022 offseason, the Vikings have kept eight UDFAs on the initial 53-man roster and this year looks to be no different. There are quite a few different UDFAs who have […]
The Minnesota Vikings have made a living of finding UDFAs who make the roster. Since general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah took the job going into the 2022 offseason, the Vikings have kept eight UDFAs on the initial 53-man roster and this year looks to be no different.
There are quite a few different UDFAs who have a chance to make the roster, especially on defense, but one has gotten a lot more attention than others across the board: Utah CB Zemaiah Vaughn.
Zemaiah Vaughn has Brian Flores' attention
Before the second training camp practice, defensive coordinator Brian Flores spoke with the media and was specifically asked about Vaughn and what excited him about the tall, lanky cornerback out of Utah.
"Size. Obviously, you guys walk on the field and see a guy with six two long arms a corner can run. So, the measurables are there. We brought him in on a (top) 30 (visit). He was really very good, just from a mental standpoint, acumen standpoint, he works hard. You put all those things together, and it's something that you're excited to work with any work. He works at it, and really, just as a general message to our guys, it's really four things: be on time. That's number one. And then, you know, work hard in every area, whether it's in the weight room or, obviously, on the field, in the meeting rooms and walk throughs.
"So work hard, be unselfish. Because, this is a game where there's 11 guys on the field and everybody relies on somebody else to do their job, for them to do their job, for us to be efficient as a defense. And the last thing I ask is for those guys to have fun. And that's the message that I gave to the team. I think specific to Zemaiah, and to any young player, if you can do those four things, then you put yourself in the best position and that's what we're trying to do with each one of these guys."
Vaughn is a very intriguing player, especially for a defense that plays a lot of cover-3 like the Vikings do. He's got excellent straight-line speed and linear explosiveness to click-and-close on the football. That ability is very important to Flores' defense, and when you add in the 32" arms on the 6-2.5 frame. Yes, he only weighs 186 lbs, but the length and explosiveness is legit.
Being a UDFA doesn't mean anything when it comes to making the roster, but hearing these words from Flores is a great start.
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