Viking's biggest weakness is easy to see, but the reason why isn't what you think

Vikings' biggest need is not a huge deal

When looking over the entirety of the roster, it looks really good across the board. It's far from perfect, but even at its weakest points, there is a solid baseline of talent.

In putting together a list of each team's biggest position of need, ESPN's Aaron Schatz identified cornerback is the biggest position of need for the Vikings.

Byron Murphy Jr. is back after a fabulous season in which he ranked seventh in the league in my coverage DVOA metric. But you need three starting cornerbacks in the NFL, plus depth behind them. Right now, the other two starters would be Mekhi Blackmon and Isaiah Rodgers.

Blackmon missed last season with a torn ACL and had a below-average 9.8% coverage DVOA as a rookie in 2023. Rodgers was good with the Eagles last season but started only three games. Behind them are Jeff Okudah, a one-time high draft pick who played only 7% of Houston's defensive snaps last season, and Tavierre Thomas, a 29-year-old slot corner who played only 4% of Tampa Bay's defensive snaps in 2024.

Schatz takes things from the perspective of being uncertain about players who haven't proven themselves, which is a perfectly valid point. They could use a little bit more certainty at the position, but the talent is plenty for a successful defense.

Blackmon showed plenty as a rookie to project him forward, but coming off of an ACL tear isn't the easiest thing, but considering it happened last July, there is more confidence he will have things ironed out by then.

The other angle is unproven veterans. Okudah is a bust, but has everything you could want in a cornerback. Well, everything other than consistent play and staying healthy. Pair that with Rodgers, who hasn't been a consistent guy, and you have questions.

I'm far from being super concerned with the position group as a whole, but being concerned on an overall level is more than fine. It just might not matter with how good the defense is collectively, especially with Brian Flores' ability to run the defense effectively.