Vikings player is receiving help from "tackling enthusiast" to fix injury issues
There weren't many players in the NFL who had a more frustrating rookie campaign than Minnesota Vikings cornerback Akayleb Evans. A talented cornerback drafted in the fourth round of the 2022 draft, Evans’ rookie season was derailed due to head injuries. He played in 10 games last season logging two starts, but he suffered three […]
There weren't many players in the NFL who had a more frustrating rookie campaign than Minnesota Vikings cornerback Akayleb Evans.
A talented cornerback drafted in the fourth round of the 2022 draft, Evans’ rookie season was derailed due to head injuries. He played in 10 games last season logging two starts, but he suffered three concussions along the way.
At six-foot-two and nearly 200 pounds, Evans is used to implementing physicality in his game. That came back to haunt him as a rookie, but heading into the 2023 season the Missouri product is making some major adjustments.
“Obviously this is year two for him,” Brian Flores told reporters on Wednesday. “He's a little bit more comfortable but he's really working at his craft with hand placement,, those techniques, those fundamentals. Down the field, seeing the ball in the air and going and getting it. Using some of the things that are strengths of his and trying to minimize some of what some might perceive as weaknesses.”
The Vikings hired inside linebackers coach Mike Siravo over the offseason. He is an assistant that Flores coined as the team’s tackling enthusiast. The plan for Evans is to work on a new tackling technique with Siravo that keeps his head out of the tackle.
“Safety is obviously the number one point that we make with our players. Keeping your head out of the tackle,” Siravo said. "When I grew up, it was get your head across. Which if you just look at the mechanics and get your head across, there’s instances where you need to do it. It’s 30 inches, 14 inches. You don’t want to fall forward, you do what you got to do. Most cases when you’re tackling you want to keep your head out of it completely, wrap up, roll and do those things.”
Evans showed flashes in his rookie campaign that have the Vikings coaching staff hopeful for 2023. Cornerback is likely to be the most competitive position battle Minnesota will have during training camp with a handful of new additions.
If Evans is able to stay healthy and build on some of the positives from his rookie season, there’s a strong possibility that he could find himself slotted in as the starter when Week 1 rolls around.
