The Mock Drafts have been running for months and most commonly predict the Vikings to use their first-round pick on the defensive side of the ball — particularly in the secondary. But if there's one thing that's certain about the NFL Draft … it's that nothing is certain. So in leading up to this year's three-day event that begins with Round 1 on April 23, 2026, we're previewing prospects by position groups (all except quarterback, where the Vikings have four players on the roster, and specialists, where the Vikings have a trio of All-Pros).This draft prospect series includes rankings by national outlets, stats and background information for multiple prospects.
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Vikings status at cornerback
Minnesota this season is returning cornerbacks Byron Murphy, Jr., Isaiah Rodgers, Dwight McGlothern and Zemaiah Vaughn. The Vikings also recently added free agent James Pierre, who previously played for Pittsburgh.
The Vikings last spring added Rodgers and Jeff Okudah to the position group, the latter of whom unfortunately saw limited action due to injury.
Rodgers proved a valuable get for Minnesota as he showed up early in the season and forced an impressive three turnovers against the Bengals. He returned two of those turnovers for touchdowns, becoming the first player in Vikings history to score multiple defensive TDs in a game; he also was the first player in NFL history to log an interception returned for a touchdown, a fumble returned for a touchdown and force two fumbles in one game. Rodgers was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week following the performance.
Coming off a six-interception season in 2024, Murphy experienced a lengthy takeaway drought but snagged picks in Weeks 16 and 17 against the Giants and Lions, respectively. He proved his durability, playing 1,046 defensive snaps — almost 100 more than the next closest defensive player (Eric Wilson played 965.) Of Murphy's 1,046 snaps, 498 of them were run defense snaps, the most by any NFL cornerback in the league last season, according to analytics site Pro Football Focus.
The Vikings signed Vaughn as an undrafted rookie out of the University of Utah. He spent the majority of the season on Minnesota's practice squad and appeared in just one game, playing eight special teams snaps. The coaches have liked what they've seen from him in practices, though, and Vaughn will be someone to keep an eye on this offseason.
Pierre, 29, has 95 NFL games (13 starts) under his belt across six seasons, his best occurring in 2025. The Florida native played 14 games (five starts) for the Steelers last season and recorded 30 tackles, an interception and a career-high 11 passes defensed. Pierre also returned a fumble recovery for a 34-yard touchdown.
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Expert rankings
NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah currently has a whopping seven cornerbacks in his Top 50: Mansoor Delane (No. 8 overall), Jermod McCoy (15), Colton Hood (25), Avieon Terrell (34), Chris Johnson (40), Brandon Cisse (43) and Keionte Scott (44).
ESPN's Mel Kiper, Jr., has two cornerbacks in his Top 25: McCoy (16) and Delane (17).
Rankings for cornerbacks by Jeremiah, his NFL Media counterpart Bucky Brooks, Kiper, Pro Football Focus and The Athletic's Dane Brugler are listed below.
Prospects
Note: Heights and weights are from each player's profile on NFL.com (linked for each player's name).
School: LSU (after Virginia Tech) | Year: Senior | Ht: 5-foot-11 3/4 | Wt: 187 pounds
Experts' Position Rankings
Daniel Jeremiah: CB1
Bucky Brooks: CB1
Mel Kiper, Jr.: CB2
Pro Football Focus: CB1
Dane Brugler: CB1
2025 stats: 45 tackles, 2 INT, 11 PD
Career stats: 44 games (40 starts); 191 tackles, 8 INT, 7 TFL, 4 FF, 1 FR, 27 PD
High school wrestler: Delane started out playing cornerback in high school before transitioning to safety for his junior and senior year. He also competed in wrestling, a sport he's said has helped his tackling and keeping a low center of gravity. His name is pronounced MAHN-soor duh-LANE.
School: Tennessee (after Oregon State) | Year: Junior | Ht: 6-foot-0 3/4 | Wt: 188 pounds
Experts' Position Rankings
Daniel Jeremiah: CB2
Bucky Brooks: CB2
Mel Kiper, Jr.: CB1
Pro Football Focus: CB2
Dane Brugler: CB2
2025 stats: McCoy missed the season with a torn ACL he suffered in January 2025.
Career stats: 25 games (18 starts); 75 tackles, 6 INT, 1 TFL, 1 FR, 16 PD
Encouraged by Rollins: At 12 years old, McCoy almost dropped all other sports to focus on baseball. He changed his mind after attending a baseball camp and listening to a panel of MLB stars, including Jimmy Rollins, who encouraged the youngsters to play as many sports as possible and "the one you're meant to play will find you."
School: Clemson | Year: Junior | Ht: 5-foot-10 3/4 | Wt: 186 pounds
Experts' Position Rankings
Daniel Jeremiah: CB4
Bucky Brooks: NB1 (Players were separated as nickelbacks and cornerbacks by Brooks.)
Mel Kiper, Jr.: CB3
Pro Football Focus: CB3
Dane Brugler: CB4
2025 stats: 48 tackles, 3.0 sacks, 4.5 TFL, 5 FF, 1 FR, 9 PD
Career stats: 39 games (31 starts); 125 tackles, 4.0 sacks, 3 INT, 9.0 TFL, 8 FF, 3 FR, 25 PD
Bro in the pros: Avieon is the younger brother of A.J. Terrell, who also starred at Clemson and was a first-round draft pick by Atlanta in 2020.
School: Tennessee (after Auburn and Colorado) | Year: RS Soph | Ht: 6-feet | Wt: 193 pounds
Experts' Position Rankings
Daniel Jeremiah: CB3
Bucky Brooks: CB3
Mel Kiper, Jr.: CB5
Pro Football Focus: CB4
Dane Brugler: CB5
2025 stats: 50 tackles, 1 INT (23-yard TD), 4.5 TFL, 1 FF, 1 FR, 8 PD
Career stats: 29 games (13 starts); 77 tackles, 3 INT, 5.5 TFL, 1 FF, 1 FR, 14 PD
All-around athlete: Hood attended Eagles Landing Christian High School, where he starred in multiple sports. He was a three-time All-Region honoree in baseball, went to state for the 4x100-meter relay and lettered in basketball, in addition to being named a top 20 CB prospect nationally.
School: South Carolina (after North Carolina State) | Year: Junior | Ht: 5-foot-11 3/4 | Wt: 189 pounds
Experts' Position Rankings
Daniel Jeremiah: CB6
Bucky Brooks: CB5
Mel Kiper, Jr.: CB4
Pro Football Focus: CB5
Dane Brugler: CB7
2025 stats: 27 tackles, 1 INT, 1.5 TFL, 1 FF, 5 PD
Career stats: 34 games (12 starts); 65 tackles, 2 INT, 3.0 TFL, 1 FF, 10 PD
Early impressions: Soon after transferring to South Carolina, Cisse earned Newcomer of the Spring honors for the defense and co-Newcomer of the Spring accolades for special teams. He started all 12 games for the Gamecocks, 11 at cornerback and one in the slot. His last name is pronounced see-say.
School: San Diego State | Year: Senior | Ht: 6-foot-0 3/8 | Wt: 193 pounds
Experts' Position Rankings
Daniel Jeremiah: CB5
Bucky Brooks: CB4
Mel Kiper, Jr.: CB6
Pro Football Focus: CB7
Dane Brugler: CB3
2025 stats: 49 tackles, 4 INT (2 TDs), 1 sack, 3.0 TFL, 1 FF, 9 PD
Career stats: 47 games (23 starts); 152 tackles, 6 INT (2 TDs), 1 sack, 3.5 TFL, 5 FF, 14 PD
Highly decorated: Johnson was named Mountain West Conference Co-Defensive Player of the Year and a Second-Team Associated Press All-American. His 146 interception return yards ranked fifth in FBS.
School: Indiana (after James Madison) | Year: Junior | Ht: 5-foot-8 5/8 | Wt: 182 pounds
Experts' Position Rankings
Bucky Brooks: NB3
Mel Kiper, Jr.: CB7
Pro Football Focus: CB6
Dane Brugler: CB6
2025 stats: 61 tackles, 2 INT (1 TD), 4.0 TFL, 1 FF, 10 PD, 1 block
Career stats: 41 games (37 starts); 167 tackles, 7 INT (2 TDs), 10.5 TFL, 1 FF, 2 FR, 32 PD, 2 blocks
MVP x 2: Ponds was named Defensive MVP of both the Rose Bowl and the Peach Bowl. He started 15 games for the Hoosiers, helping them win the CFP National Championship in January.
School: Miami (after Snow College and Auburn) | Year: Senior | Ht: 5-foot-11 1/4 | Wt: 193 pounds
Experts' Position Rankings
Daniel Jeremiah: CB7
Bucky Brooks: NB2
Mel Kiper, Jr.: CB9
Pro Football Focus: CB9
Dane Brugler: S4 (Rated as a safety)
2025 stats: 64 tackles, 2 INT (2 TDs), 5 sacks, 13 TFL, 2 FF, 2 FR, 5 PD
Career stats: 47 games (35 starts); 179 tackles, 3 INT (2 TDs), 19 TFL, 2 FF, 2 FR, 14 PD
In good company: Scott shares an alma mater (Helix High School) with a number of former NFL players, including Reggie Bush, Alex Smith and 2025 first-round draft pick Josh Simmons. NBA Hall of Fame center Bill Walton also graduated from Helix.
School: Ohio State (after Mississippi) | Year: Senior | Ht: 6-foot-2 1/8 | Wt: 189 pounds
Experts' Position Rankings
Mel Kiper, Jr.: CB10
Pro Football Focus: CB11
Dane Brugler: CB10
2025 stats: 53 tackles, 2 INT, 0.5 TFL, 6 PD
Career stats: 56 games (52 starts); 194 tackles, 4 INT, 4 TFL, 25 PD, 3 FR
All in a name: Igbinosun's full name is Aimuamwosa Davison Igbinosun (IG-bih-no-son). His first name is Nigerian and means "you can't argue with God." Igbinosun's mother immigrated from Nigeria, and he and his older brother Desmond were born and raised in New Jersey.
School: Duke | Year: Senior | Ht: 5-foot-9 1/2 | Wt: 185 pounds
Experts' Position Rankings
Mel Kiper, Jr.: CB8
Pro Football Focus: CB12
Dane Brugler: CB12
2025 stats: 59 tackles, 2 INT, 3.5 TFL, 1 FF, 8 PD
Career stats: 52 games (45 starts); 223 tackles, 7 INT (2 TD), 1.5 sacks, 16 TFL, 3 FF, 1 FR, 29 PD
Giving back: Rivers has hosted a free youth football camp in his hometown of Beaumont, Texas, for the past three years. Athletes ages 12-18 were able to further develop their football skills, as well as participate in the same drills used at the NFL Scouting Combine.
School: Arizona State | Year: Junior | Ht: 5-foot-9 7/8 | Wt: 187 pounds
Experts' Position Rankings
Pro Football Focus: CB8
Dane Brugler: CB9
2025 stats: 44 tackles, 2 INT, 1 sack, 1 TFL, 2 FF, 1 FR, 12 PD
Career stats: 34 games (26 starts); 98 tackles, 6 INT, 1 sack, 1 TFL, 2 FF, 1 FR, 21 PD
Rollin' on by: Abney grew up speed skating on inline skates. He started roller skating at 5 years old and discovered a natural ability, soon competing in the sport he first excelled at.
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