2026 NFL Draft Prospects for Vikings: Cornerback
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.