While most in Viking nation are excited about the offensive prospects for the team with first round pick Adrian Peterson and second round pick Sidney Rice sure to add some explosiveness to what was one of the worst offenses in football last year, the Vikings also drafted a superbly physically gifted cornerback in the third round who I think is being seriously overlooked. That player is Marcus McCauley.
With the Vikings running the wildly popular Tampa Cover 2 defense McCauley is a perfect fit. He's has prototype size at, 6-1, 205, and he's very athletic, running a 4.39-40 in the combine. His physical talents have often been said to be first round quality but his senior year at Fresno State was terrible as he gave up numerous big plays and was eventually benched. He'll certainly be a project for the Vikings coaching staff but there is little doubt in the minds of anyone that he has the talent to be a #1 type corner. His size in particular could be of use in the central against the Lions with big receivers Roy Williams and Calvin Johnson. I for one would love to see that matchup, especially if McCauley can pull it together. The other thing a larger corner such as McCauley does it enables the Vikings to slide smaller corner Antoine Winfield inside where he could be used to blitz the quarterback, an under-rated skill of his.
Despite his fantastic physical gifts scouts have consistently said that he seems to lack the ability to anticipate the play, and often seems lost on the field. Scouts.com says...
"Did not consistently play aggressive football as a senior. Bit on play action passes, pump fakes and showed minimal instincts last year. Slow getting his head back around then positioning himself against opponents to make a play on the ball."
Scott Wright's NFL Draft Countdown says;
"His technique and footwork can be inconsistent...Will gamble and take too many risks...Hands are questionable and he will drop some interceptions...Needs to get a little stronger...Was not really thrown at a lot in college...Has trouble locating the ball...Struggled mightily at times in 2006 and didn't have a great senior year."
Those are not small issues, and makes him sound eerily like a slightly taller version of Fred Smoot.
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Overall though, I'm excited. If the Vikings can successfully coach him up, he could emerge as the the best cornerback from this draft and even one of the best of the NFL. To that end the Vikings have just signed highly regarded secondary coach Leslie Frazier. While McCauley is more likely to become a physically gifted playmaker who spends a career tantalizing people just enough with his talent to hold a starting role. That said, any time a team can draft a starter with huge upside in the third round, its a great pick.
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