A deeper dive into the Vikings UDFA cornerback
Following the 2024 NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings signed cornerback Dwight McGlothern, Arkansas (LSU previously) as an undrafted free agent (UDFA). McGlothern was the 189th ranked player on the consensus board and the 22nd ranked cornerback.
McGlothern was signed to a three-year, $2.84 million deal including a $10K signing bonus and just $30K guaranteed despite being a highly ranked player for a UDFA.
Top-Line Assessment
McGlothern improved every year in college en route to becoming the highest overall PFF-graded cornerback in the FBS last season, playing against SEC competition. He did so despite poor agility and explosion testing, and less than ideal arm length, but with good speed and height. He has good instincts, anticipation and ball skills that could allow him to compete for a starting job in time.
Overall, he is more suited to zone coverage than man or press but was graded 9th overall by PFF last season in man coverage among cornerbacks with at least 200 coverage snaps in the 2024 FBS draft class.
Traits
McGlothern, 22, has good speed and height but didn’t test well in agility and explosion drills during the pre-draft process. He also has below average arm length and could add a few pounds.
College Football Stats and PFF Profile
McGlothern started 25 games over four seasons in college, appearing in a total of 39 games. He was a highly recruited cornerback out of high school, getting many scholarship offers from several college football powerhouses. He chose LSU and played there his first two seasons before transferring to Arkansas after head coach Ed Orgeron’s departure, where he played his final two seasons.
Most of his production during his last two seasons at Arkansas, where he led the team in interceptions and passes defended both seasons. He forced ten turnovers at Arkansas including seven interceptions and three forced fumbles. He also had 23 passes defended. He missed a total of five games over his four year college career, including three last year with a concussion.
PFF Profile
McGlothern led all FBS cornerbacks with a 91.3 overall PFF grade last season, including the top coverage grade of 91.8. He also had the 8th highest tackling grade among the 2024 FBS cornerback draft class and the 8th highest pass rush grade (albeit on just 3 pass rushing snaps). He also had the 6th lowest missed tackle rate, tied for the 4th lowest yards after catch allowed, no penalties all season, and the 13th lowest passer rating when targeted.
Scouting Reports
Dane Brugler, The Athletic
STRENGTHS: Towering height for the position, with adequate arm length … outstanding route recognition and wide receiver background educates his decisive trigger … excellent spatial awareness in off coverage and drives to the catch point, not the receiver … rangy bal l skills and positions himself well to get his hands on the football … average speed player but covers a lot of ground with his long strides … flashed a violent two-hand punch when he was allowed to jam … able to give blocking receivers the slip at the line and blow up screens (see 2023 Florida tape) … length helps him lasso ball carriers when he can’t stay square to his target … aggressive and not afraid to take chances … penalty total dropped from 10 in 2022 to zero in 2023 (he didn’t play as many snaps in 2023, but that’s still encouraging) … terrific ball production with a combined 23 passes defended and seven interceptions in his 22 games at Arkansas.
WEAKNESSES: Mediocre athletic profile … sticky hips in his turn and run; struggles to regain positioning once he loses phase … lacks suddenness mid-transition and doesn’t have the start-stop skills to stay attached to snappy 90-degree breaks … undisciplined hip action and rarely utilizes a true backpedal … needs to show more dedication to the fundamentals of the position … missed only one tackles in 2023, but his bad habits (high strike zone, doesn’t drive through, etc.) will make that number increase in the NFL unless fixed … spends too much time attached to receivers’ blocks downfield … didn’t play on special teams in 2023 … injuries were an issue in 2023 — missed three games because of a concussion (October 2023) and parts of others with turf toe.
SUMMARY: A two-year starter at Arkansas, McGlothern was the field cornerback in defensive coordinator Travis Williams balanced-coverage scheme. After flashing promise in his two seasons at LSU, he earned All-SEC honors for the Razorbacks in 2022 and had a strong season in 2023 (allowed just one catch of more than 15 yards), even as he battled through injuries. McGlothern’s best quality is the trust he has in his coverage instincts to read route combinations and understand when to drive and disrupt the play — he wasresponsible for 12 combined turnovers (eight interceptions, four forced fumbles) over the last three seasons. However, his upright play style and wild body control can quickly lead to missteps in coverage and run support. Overall, McGlothern is an average athlete, and coaches won’t be using his technique for teaching tape. His route anticipation and play confidence, however, are the type of traits zone-scheme teams should target in the draft. He is an interesting mid-round prospect who reminds me of an underdeveloped version of Carlton Davis.
Lance Zierlein, NFL.com
Overview
Ball-hawking cornerback with the eyes, instincts and ball skills to flip the field against careless quarterbacks. McGlothern can press a little bit and handle some man coverage. However, he might be at his best in zone coverages, where he can scan the field and play chess with the route combinations and quarterbacks. He overlaps coverage areas to make plays on the football and has Cover 3 cornerback written all over him. McGlothern is passive as a run defender, which will slide him down the board for some teams. He possesses average speed and athleticism, but the skills are there to label him a Day 3 prospect with upside.
Strengths
- Long outside cornerback with eight career interceptions.
- Sits down in off-man and zone waiting to pounce on throws.
- Very decisive to trigger when the quarterback’s eyes start lingering.
- Length and instincts to play high-low route combos from low to high.
- Prioritizes beating receiver to the catch point underneath.
- Capable of shutting feet down quickly from shuffle to phase comeback routes.
Weaknesses
- Lacks body control and footwork necessary for consistent press technique.
- Collected flags in 2022 after panicking when beaten down the field.
- Aggressive mentality will set him up for pump-and-go losses.
- Needs to open and sprint with better timing on deep routes.
- Moves away from lead blockers, as if he is looking to avoid the contact in run support.
Greg Cosell & Lou Russo, 33rd Team
Strengths
- Aligned as the left CB for Arkansas. The majority of the time he played the field and boundary side.
- Long frame and hand usage allow him to disrupt WRs at the LOS and be effective at the catch point.
- Good zone CB who pattern recognizes and understands route concepts to position himself to make plays.
- Good plant-and-drive ability from off-alignment to close on throws in front of him – quick downhill transition.
- Most effective from pressed alignment when using his length to get his hands on WRs to disrupt their release.
- Instincts and recognition, combined with solid burst, allow him to break on the ball in front of him
- Length allows him to be effective in the short red zone where he can use his size to take away those outside throws.
Weaknesses
- Questionable physicality and aggression displayed when taking on blocks outside – doesn’t disengage well.
- Disinterested tackler who struggles to fill running lanes and come downhill in run/screen support.
- Susceptible to back shoulder throws – he likes to stay on top of WRs, making it hard to react to that throw.
- Lacks elite top-end speed when running vertically downfield with speedy WRs, especially from press man.
- Not a quick twitch athlete – lacks the lateral change of direction skills when transitioning out of breaks
- Slow feet and poor technique from press alignment, causing issues transitioning if he doesn’t get hands on WRs.
NFL Transition
McGlothern aligned primarily as the left CB for Arkansas, playing from the field and boundary side of the formation. He has good size and length, allowing him to disrupt the receiver’s release off the LOS when he is in pressed alignment.
He showed minimal physicality and aggression, which is evident in how he took on blocks and provided minimal support in run/screen game. McGlothern is a savvy CB who understands route conceptions and is quick to pattern recognize to drive on throws and make plays on the ball.
He made a great break and anticipation on his INT vs. Auburn on a curl route in a curl/flat combo from off-zone coverage. McGlothern made another great instinctive play on an INT vs. LSU from Inverted-2, jumping the slot out route for INT.
He is best suited to play from off-alignment, where he can use his instincts and downhill burst to disrupt throws in front of him. He lacks the top-end speed and quickness to accelerate and stick with WRs vertically. It is worrisome that McGolthern lost his starting job in the middle of the 2023 season. He missed the whole month of October prior to returning to the starting lineup in November.
Overall, McGlothern size and length, combined with his recognition skills and instincts, make him a good fit for zone-based schemes, where he can play off to read and react. He lacks the explosiveness needed in man coverage schemes at the NFL level.
Other Notes
McGlothern is likely a Day 3 pick who could provide some secondary depth on a defense with high zone coverage tendencies.
McGlothern was a four-star recruit from Texas who attended LSU for two seasons, starting as a sophomore, and then transferred to Arkansas for his last two seasons.
In 2022, he was named Second-Team All-SEC. McGlothern finished his career playing in 35 games between LSU and Arkansas, totaling 113 tackles, six tackles for loss, eight interceptions, 23 pass breakups and four forced fumbles.
In 2022, McGlothern had 504 coverage snaps and was targeted on 52 pass attempts, allowing 22 completions for 318 yards and one touchdown. He also record four interceptions and 11 pass breakups on those targets. He played from press alignment on 84 of his 504 coverage snaps (17 percent). McGlothern played from more zone coverage concepts than man (59 percent zone and 41 percent man).
In 2023, McGlothern had 194 coverage snaps, and he was targeted on 18 pass attempts, allowing 8 completions for 98 yards and one touchdown. He recorded just one interception and five pass breakups on those targets. He played from press alignment on 30 of 194 coverage snaps (15 percent). McGlothern played zone coverage more than man (56 percent zone and 44 percent man).
Matt Fries, Zone Coverage
Matt has a nice breakdown of McGlothern here.
College Tape
Arkansas Highlights
LSU Highlights
Bottom Line
McGlothern joins 2023 fourth-round pick Jay Ward and fifth-round pick Jaquelin Roy as LSU defenders who worked with Vikings defensive backs coach Daronte Jones when he was defensive coordinator/defensive backs coach at LSU in 2021.
McGlothern did get a few first team reps during the off-season program and took some time after practice with veteran Byron Murphy, showing some dedication to learning the ropes. While Shaq Griffin and Mekhi Blackmon may have the inside track to start at the outside cornerback spots heading into training camp, assuming Murphy starts at slot cornerback this season, the bar isn’t that high where McGlothern couldn’t end up winning a starting job at some point this season. He’d also have to beat out other contenders like Akayleb Evans, Andrew Booth Jr., and Jaylin Williams.
Mekhi Blackmon was able to become a starter last season for the Vikings and finished as their highest PFF-graded cornerback. McGlothern is similar to Blackmon in going under the radar in college until his final season, when he emerged as a top cornerback despite some physical limitations. Again, the bar isn’t that high among the other contenders for a starting outside cornerback spot for McGlothern, should he transition well into the league and Brian Flores’ scheme, to land a starting spot at some point this season.