Minnesota Vikings CB Xavier Rhodes, one of their first-round picks in 2013, has earned positive reviews about his ball skills from first-year defensive coordinator Alan Williams. He said that in practice, Rhodes ‘got his hands on some balls and he’s not giving up deep balls. That’s the big thing because a lot of guys like to sit on passes and you see them intercept balls and you say ‘wow’ and then a lot of balls are going over his head. And he’s not giving up either. He’s tough down low and up top.’ Williams also said that Rhodes should pair with fellow tall, rangy CB Chris Cook to give the Norse more flexibility on their play-calling.

Our View: Rhodes was one of the top CBs in this draft class because of his size/speed combination. He is a physical player who can jam WRs at the line of scrimmage yet has the speed to recover on downfield routes. Rhodes will compete for a starting job in 2013 but is no worse than their nickel CB this year.
Vikings | Like what they see from Xavier Rhodes