Minnesota Vikings cornerback Xavier Rhodes has been a staple of the defense since being drafted 25th overall in the 2013 draft. On the field, he is known for being a shutdown corner who loves to trash talk his opponents every chance he gets. There is more to Rhodes then what he does on the field though, so let's breakdown four things to know about the former Florida State Seminole.

Antonio Brown, Raiders
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Good Friends With Antonio Brown

Like a lot of NFL players, Rhodes grew up in the Miami area, and he keeps in close contact with many of the other NFL players that come from the area. One of those players is current Oakland Raiders wide receiver, Antonio Brown who Rhodes has said in the past is like a brother to him.

“We grew up in the same neighborhood. We went to the same school. It's more going to be a brotherly type thing.” Rhodes told Pittsburgh media, via the Steelers official website.

The two guys usually find time each off-season to train with each other and try to help make each other better.

“Every offseason we find time to work out. He loves the game. He loves playing the game. He is always smiling. He goes out there and does what he does best, catch the ball and try and score touchdowns.”

The two haven't faced off many times on the field, but when they do, they put the friendship aside for three hours and compete against each other like enemies.

Vikings, Mike Zimmer

Once Got Kicked Out of Practice by Mike Zimmer

Rhodes has always been known as a competitor, and he has always prided himself on going hard in practice. During the training camp leading into the 2018 season, Rhodes and teammate Stefon Diggs were jawing most of the practice before getting into a heated exchange. After the incident, both players tried to downplay it and said there are no hard feelings about the incident.

“It was just the competitive nature in us,” Rhodes said via John Shipley of the Pioneer Press. “I didn’t want to lose. He didn’t want to lose. … It’s stuff like that if you have a sibling you grow up with and he does something you don’t like and then something tends to go off.”

It's a good thing that Rhodes and Diggs have no hard feelings about the incident because the Vikings locker room is very close-knit, but this is just another example of how much of a competitor Rhodes is.

xavier rhodes, Vikings

Was a do it All Player in High School

It wasn't until he got to Florida State that Rhodes focused on cornerback and during high school, he did just about everything for the team. On offense, he led the team in rushing and receiving his senior year and was actually recruited as a wide receiver to the Seminoles.

According to 24/7, he was a three-star recruit and the 88th ranked wideout in the 2009 class. The Vikings have a nice wide receiving corps right now, but if there are ever a lot of injuries, maybe Rhodes can fill in.

Xavier Rhodes, Vikings

Ran Track and Field

Like a lot of NFL players, Rhodes was also a standout on the track during high school. He ran the 100, 200, and 400-meter with his best being the 100-meter dash.

As a senior, he qualified for the Florida State Finals in the 100-meter dash after running a career-best time of 10.70 seconds in the regional finals.

A lot of time that blazing speed still shows up on the field when he is going against other speedsters.