Minnesota Vikings: Replacing aging veterans through 2020 NFL Draft
By Luke Parrish
Trae Waynes
The Vikings love to spend draft capital on cornerbacks. Three of Minnesota’s cornerbacks were first-round picks: Xavier Rhodes, Mike Hughes and Trae Waynes. Waynes is entering his fifth NFL season on the final year of his rookie deal.
Extending Waynes may be expensive for the Vikings, but they have plenty of depth to keep the secondary afloat should he leave as a free agent. But who could be found in the draft to fulfill his roster spot?
Replacement Option: Essang Bassey, Wake Forest
Wake Forest senior Essang Bassey is one of my early sleepers for the 2020 NFL Draft. Bassey has been a staple of the Wake Forest defense over the past two seasons, playing in all 26 games since becoming a regular. The 5-10 defensive back knows how to play the ball. He keeps his weight on his back foot to allow him to pounce on the ball.
Since 2017, Bassey has 31 pass deflections. He also has 148 tackles in that span. Bassey is more than willing to hit in the run game. He doesn’t quite reach the size requirements that Mike Zimmer looks for in corners, but the Vikings took a chance on Mike Hughes and that worked out well in the small sample size last season.
Bassey is a sound corner. He flips his hips effortlessly to allow for a quick change of direction. He attacks the ball and plays with the demeanor necessary for the position. The only concerns I have with Bassey come in the short-area passing game. He hasn’t been asked to press much in his time at Wake Forest.
While he is a willing tackler, he struggles the most against screen passes. A big reason for that was his situational awareness. Bassey allowed for easy gains on far too many third-and-shorts to extend drives. NFL coaching and scheming should remove that from his game.
Honorable mention: Mark Gilbert, Duke