The Minnesota Vikings have patched up most of the holes on the front end of their defense over the past two offseasons, bringing in players like Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, Jonathan Allen, Javon Hargrave, and Dallas Turner to bolster the pass-rushing unit while adding impressive middle linebackers like Blake Cashman and Eric Wilson to captain the defense. While Minnesota’s front seven has become a significant strength, the secondary still comparatively lags.
Minnesota brought back Byron Murphy, who had an excellent season and paired him with Isaiah Rodgers, who flashed in limited snaps on Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles. That’s a good start, but they have more work and still some lingering uncertainty.
Mekhi Blackmon had a promising rookie campaign as he adjusted to the league. Still, he missed last season with an ACL tear and had only 434 snaps the season prior. While Ambry Thomas and Dwight McGlothern look promising, they’re also unproven.
Therefore, the Vikings should find a potential long-term solution at an outside cornerback. At pick 24, Shavon Revel from Eastern Carolina University feels like exactly the player that they should target.
Revel burst onto the scene with an impressive 2023 season, where he drew attention from the national media. He became a true shutdown cornerback for the Pirates while also contributing on special teams.
It seemed like Revel was almost a lock to be a top-15 pick in the draft until an unfortunate ACL tear during practice in September caused him to miss out on most of his senior season and slide down draft boards. Revel was off to a hot start in 2024, recording two interceptions in three games (one of which he returned for a touchdown), doubling his total from the prior season.
At 6’2”, 194 lbs., Revel already has the size and length most defensive coordinators would love to see in a cornerback. What’s more impressive is how he can use his length to his advantage, jamming receivers in press coverage and getting in passing lanes.
Revel seems at ease when playing press or man coverage against opposing wide receivers. He can match receivers stride for stride with his speed when they try to get vertical on him.
Even if he falls behind, Revel has excellent recovery speed. That, combined with his length, allows him to close the gap and make a play on the football. His blazing speed is well on display, making receivers uncomfortable at the point of attack.
Despite being a taller cornerback, Revel does an excellent job of staying fluid. He can drop his hips and stay with wide receivers when they change directions, which is typically an issue for many players his size.
While he’s excellent in man coverage, he occasionally defaults to grabbing the opposing receiver instead of trying to make up the ground with his speed. He tends to get aggressive, and opponents occasionally burn him when he guesses wrong on plays. Revel must learn to mitigate these sorts of mistakes at the next level.
He doesn’t always fully process his responsibilities in zone coverage, although he showed improvement there. Still, his injury leaves questions about his ability to play in the zone.
Revel is a more than willing run defender. While we see some cornerbacks only play the pass, he relishes all the dirty work and looks to get to the ball carrier and use his large frame to bring them down.
He’s also a special teams ace who shows up in his snaps on both the punt and field-goal units. As a punt gunner, Revel uses his speed and physicality to get downfield to the return man as soon as they get the ball. The Vikings must upgrade their punt gunners, and adding Revel would fill an underrated need.
While there are concerns about him only having the one elite season on tape, it would feel on brand for the Vikings to trust their coaching to turn those flashes into a consistent fire. It would almost mimic their free agency, where they invest in players like Will Fries or Isaiah Rodgers, who looked great in limited snaps.
Revel could be the perfect opportunity for the Vikings to trade back in the first round and still grab a player with top-15 potential.