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The Minnesota Vikings (13-4) were one of the best stories in the NFL last year, rising to the top of the NFC North division and putting together a string of exciting finishes that led to a series of one-score victories.
The Vikings offense was both dynamic and exciting, and first-year head coach Kevin O'Connell provided a breath of fresh air to a locker room that was not a happy place the previous year under former head coach Mike Zimmer.
But the defense was another story for the Vikings. While the offense was making big plays and bailing out the rest of the team, the defense struggled to slow down any opposing attack. Defensive coordinator Ed Donatell may have realized that he didn't have much talent to work with when he decided to have his charges play a vanilla defense that rarely blitzed or confused the opposing offensive leaders.
The Vikings defense ranked 31st in yardage allowed at 388.7 yards per game and 30th in points allowed with 25.1 points per game.
The Minnesota secondary was incredibly fertile ground for opposing quarterbacks and receivers, and while they need help all over, adding a game-changing cover corner like Kelee Ringo of the national champion Georgia Bulldogs can only help improve the Vikings on the defensive side of the ball.
1-on-1 cover skills
Ringo is a very talented player who has gotten the best of receivers throughout his college career. Getting the job done against college receivers is one thing, and excelling at the professional level is quite another.
Ringo passes the eye test because he looks like a powerful player for his position and he has the confidence to take on any player assignment. He also demonstrated at the Scouting Combine in Indianapolis that he is far superior to the large majority of cornerbacks coming out in the draft.
Ringo ran an eye-opening 4.36 40-yard dash. He measured in at 6-foot-2, 207 pounds with 31 1/4 inch arms. He posted a 33.5 vertical jump and a 10-2 broad jump, but it is that speed that should make him an outstanding cover man for new defensive coordinator Brian Flores and the Vikings.
“I feel like as a corner, you have to be a fearless type person. I feel like it’s high risk, high reward, of course,” Ringo said at the Combine. “Being an offensive lineman or a running back, if somebody were to miss a block and the quarterback gets the ball off at the right timing and early, then it’s a great play and they can score a touchdown. But as a corner, going out there and knowing that you have to have the utmost confidence in yourself. If you take one wrong step, it could possibly be a touchdown.”
Familiar surroundings
Going to Indianapolis brought back great memories for Ringo. The Bulldogs met Alabama in Lucas Oil Stadium following the 2021 regular season in the national championship game. The Bulldogs came away with a 33-18 victory in that championship effort and the cornerback had an interception in that game.
Ringo had 39 tackles, 2 interceptions and 8 passes defensed in the 2021 season, and he followed that with 42 tackles, 2 interceptions and 7 passes defensed last season.
Overall strengths and weaknesses
Ringo has elite size and strength for an outside corner, and he understands how to stay low and balanced in his backpedal. He looks very natural in coverage and he knows how to flip his hips and stay smooth. He is excellent against the run and hits like a safety, and he will fight through blocks to break up the opposing attack.
On the other hand, he has shown a lack of patience and his body control gets sloppy from time to time. He also needs to work on maintaining his coverage during quarterback scrambles, as he appears to get distracted on those plays.
