The Vikings loaded up on cornerbacks during the 2020 NFL Draft, which was a natural response to losing homegrown veterans Xavier Rhodes, Trae Waynes, and Mackensie Alexander earlier that offseason in free agency. Over the next year, the majority of the focus was on first-rounder Jeff Gladney, who had a solid rookie year before running into legal trouble this spring, and third-rounder Cameron Dantzler, who flashed elite potential during an impressive debut campaign.
But there was a third corner from that draft class, and after being thrust into action last season with respectable results, fifth-round pick Harrison Hand is emerging as a player to watch in his second season.
Hand has been one of the standouts of the Vikings' Organized Team Activities period, which is five practices deep. Last week, the former Baylor and Temple standout had a highlight play with a pass breakup that he nearly caught on a full-extension dive after tipping the ball into the air. On Wednesday, Hand made another excellent play by jumping in front of Justin Jefferson for a clean interception in the red zone.
Both of those plays came not against the second or third-team offense, but against Kirk Cousins and the Vikings' starters. That's because Hand has been running with the first-team defense for much of OTAs. Dantzler missed the first week and hasn't gotten into team sessions yet this week, while veteran Patrick Peterson was back in Arizona tending to a personal matter during Wednesday's practice. That's opened up an opportunity for players like Hand and Kris Boyd to show what they can do early on in the offseason.
If things had gone to plan for the Vikings in 2020, Hand probably would've never seen the field. But they had a remarkable amount of attrition at the cornerback position, with Dantzler, Mike Hughes, Holton Hill, and others missing time due to injuries. That meant Hand, who started out on special teams like most Day 3 rookies do, wound up playing 163 defensive snaps.
He handled those snaps well despite playing against some tough opponents. Hand was solid in coverage, demonstrating good agility and technique, and after missing a couple tackles in his NFL debut, he was good in that area as well. The highlight of Hand's rookie season came when he intercepted Drew Brees in Week 16, and he followed that up by making his first career start a week later.
Hand has decent size and plenty of athleticism, particularly shining with incredible vertical and broad jumps at the 2020 combine. More importantly, he seems to have the instincts and ball skills to develop into a solid NFL corner if he stays on an upwards trajectory.
After Dantzler, Peterson, and Alexander, the Vikings' CB depth chart is fairly open. Who knows what will happen with Gladney's situation. If he's cut or suspended, there's an opening for Hand, Boyd, or someone else to step up and start the season in the important fourth corner role. Given how frequently corners get banged up, that's a job that would likely come with a fair amount of playing time throughout the year. Tye Smith, signed by the Vikings on Wednesday, is another player who could factor into that competition.
I'm not here to suggest that 163 snaps as a rookie and a couple good spring practices mean Hand will surely become a great player, or even see the field much in his career. But he's putting himself right into the mix to be an important player to watch in training camp this year, at the very least. At best, he could turn into a key contributor in the Vikings' secondary this fall and work his way into their long-term plans.
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