EAGAN — It would be Minnesota nice to say that the production from the Minnesota Vikings’ nickel corner position has not been ideal in recent years.
What qualifies as “not ideal?”
Add up 2021 Mackensie Alexander and 2022 Chandon Sullivan and you get a 117.7 quarterback rating on throws into their coverage and they gave up more passing yards than any other combination of nickels between 2021 and 2022 in the NFL. Last year Sullivan ranked 34th of 44 players who regularly played in the slot in terms of yards allowed per snap (1.44) and, coincidentally, Alexander was also 34th in 2021, per Pro Football Focus.
This offseason the Vikings signed ex-Cardinals corner Byron Murphy Jr., who played nearly 1,500 snaps in the slot in his first four NFL seasons. It appears that he will be increasing that number exponentially with the Vikings.
“You saw him [in Arizona] on those base downs playing outside corner and then seamlessly transition inside to be one of the better nickels in my opinion in football,” head coach Kevin O’Connell said.
Over Murphy Jr.’s career, he has faced a total of 148 targets while lining up on the inside. His performance is significantly better than what the Vikings have received from their starters in that spot over the last two seasons. Murphy gave up a 96.3 QB rating into his coverage and 1.15 yards per snap. His rating allowed would have put him in the top 25 in yards per snap and top 20 in yards per snap.
Murphy Jr. didn’t come into the NFL as a nickel corner, he learned on the fly with the Cardinals, increasing his snap count at that position from 286 in Year 1 to 572 in his second season.
“My first time moving inside was my rookie year, I had played outside in college and my whole life,” Murphy said. “For nickel, it’s more space, you’re in the middle of the field and you don’t know what you’re going to get. More motions…being in the gaps, those types of things. At corner, you’re out there on an island.”
In Brian Flores’ defense, the slot also requires an aggressive approach i.e. blitzing. In 2021, the two most used slot defenders by Flores in Miami, Nik Needham and Eric Rowe, combined for more than 50 pass rushes and registered 11 pressures.
“As a DB you want to get some blitzes in,” said Murphy, who has 107 total rushes in his career, 15 pressures and 3.0 sacks.
This is only the starting point of Murphy Jr.’s role. Things can change depending on how the rest of the cornerback group comes together. At OTAs, Andrew Booth Jr. and Akayleb Evans have appeared to get the majority of the work outside with rookie Mekhi Blackmon mixing in. But if there are issues with performance or health during training camp, Murphy Jr. could be pushed to play on the outside, where he has played over 1,700 snaps during his career.
“Every single day you get a feel for the type of movement skills he has and the experience he has and a wide variety of doing different jobs and at the same time you can tell he loves football and he’s showing some real leadership traits as well,” O’Connell said.
Murphy Jr.’s early observation, he told reporters at last week’s open OTA practice, of Flores’ defense is that knowing your alignment is a major part of the battle. The other part is playing aggressively in coverage knowing that opponents are going to be going to the quick game often.
“For us as DBs, when those blitzes happen you know the ball is coming fast and it’s time for us to go out there and make those plays,” Murphy Jr. said.
The 25-year-old corner seemingly can’t wait to make those plays. He noted several times how happy he is to be in Minnesota, saying, “everything is better,” with a wink. His motivation doesn’t just come from a multi-year contract and improved facilities but a need to show that he can maximize the potential that made him the 33rd overall pick in 2019.
“I got a big edge on me, there’s a lot of things on my mind,” Murphy Jr. said. “But just coming here and getting better every single day, keep learning but definitely got an edge and gotta prove myself.”
Last year was a difficult one for the Vikings’ new corner as he only appeared in nine games due to a back issue. He talked about trying to stay engaged on the sidelines with his teammates but missing the competition. Now he is healthy and has a fresh start with a chance to become a centerpiece for the Vikings’ defense for years to come.
“The biggest thing is just staying locked in and coming out here every day with a chip on your shoulder,” he said.
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