Apr 30, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Trae Waynes (Michigan State) greets NFL commissioner Roger Goodell after being selected as the number eleven overall pick to the Minnesota Vikings in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
The Minnesota Vikings have selected cornerback Trae Waynes at No. 11 in the 2015 NFL Draft. The front seven on that defense already looks good while they return Adrian Peterson and Teddy Bridewater to the offense. The Vikings already have the No. 7-ranked pass defense from 2014 and it will be better in 2015.
Waynes already had great tape going in but running that 4.31-40 put him on a more visible position on the map. At 6’0″, 186 pounds, Waynes has good length andoves to compete in man-to-man, and is a bump-and-run specialist. He has the mental toughness to play in the NFL and successfully played on an island in college.
That 4.31 40-yard dash was put to use as recovery speed to make up for separation. And with it, he allowed just two touchdowns over last two seasons while at Michigan State. But is much more than his speed as the knows how to play against guys that have exceptional speed.
When playing against vertical threats, he consistently pins recievers against the sideline. The length Waynes has gives him a large contest radius to trim down the quarterback’s margin for error. He was well-coached and I can’t stress enough how much of a technitian he is, playing with proper leverage in coverage.
Receivers won’t have it so easy in the Vikings’ secondary in 2015.