Leading up to the start of the 2015 NFL draft on Thursday, we'll be taking a position-by-position look at the Minnesota Vikings' roster:
Position: Defensive back
Current personnel: Xavier Rhodes (signed through 2016), Captain Munnerlyn (2016), Terence Newman (2015), Josh Robinson (2015), Marcus Sherels (2015), DeMarcus Van Dyke (2015), Shaun Prater (2015), Jabari Price (2017), Harrison Smith (2015), Robert Blanton (2015), Andrew Sendejo (2015), Taylor Mays (2015), Antone Exum (2017), Ahmad Dixon (2015), Brian Peters (2017).
Projected starters: Rhodes (CB), Newman (CB), Smith (S), Blanton (S)
Departures: None
Total cap charge: Cornerback: $14.29 million (16th); Safety: $6.67 million (24th)
Scouting report: The Vikings have budding stars at both cornerback and safety, but both positions could still be areas of need. At corner, they have Rhodes and Munnerlyn (possibly just a slot guy), as well as Robinson (inconsistent so far) and Newman (turns 37 in September). They struggled to settle on a starter at safety next to Smith last season, bumping Blanton out of the lineup in favor of Sendejo even after he returned from injury. If the Vikings can add a corner who can handle man coverage and a safety who can start next to Smith, their secondary would be in fine shape for the foreseeable future.
The last defensive back drafted: After waiting to shore up the secondary through the early part of the draft last year, the Vikings took three defensive backs on the draft's final day, picking Exum and Kendall James in the sixth round and Price in the seventh.
Potential targets: In our NFL Nation mock draft on Monday, I picked Michigan State cornerback Trae Waynes for the Vikings at No. 11. The Vikings spent plenty of time with him before the draft, and he'd give them another tall, fast and physical corner to pair with Rhodes. Washington's Marcus Peters has many of the same characteristics, though concerns about his makeup could drop him to the latter half of the first round. Vikings coach Mike Zimmer spent time with Connecticut cornerback Byron Jones, who is one of the draft's most athletic players, and Florida Atlantic cornerback D'Joun Smith has also been garnering more attention before the draft. At safety, Alabama's Landon Collins figures to be at the top of many teams' boards, though he might not be reliable enough in deep coverage to take at No. 11. The Vikings met with both Virginia's Anthony Harris and Arizona State's Damarious Randall and also invited Minnesota safety Cedric Thompson to their top-30 prospects event.
Need rating (scale of 1 to 10): Cornerback: 6. Safety: 7.
