The Minnesota Vikings sign CB Joejuan Williams

A former 2nd round pick lands in Minnesota.

The Minnesota Vikings are starting to add some much needed depth to their cornerback room. Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune reports that the Vikings are signing CB Joejuan Williams.

Williams is a former 2nd round pick out of Vanderbilt who was selected 45th overall by the New England Patriots in the 2019 NFL Draft. In his three seasons with the Patriots, Williams hardly saw the field. He has 506 total snaps over his three year career. For comparison, Patrick Peterson played 1,104 snaps last year alone. Williams suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in August of 2022, which is part of the reason why he hasn’t gotten a lot of playing time.

However, the upside is definitely there. Williams is 6’3″, 212 lbs, and has plenty of size to boot. Williams has a 78 inch wingspan which is in the 84th percentile among cornerbacks, and he recorded 17 bench press reps which ranked in the top 5 at his position in the 2019 NFL Scouting Combine.

Here’s what NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein had to say about Joejuan Williams in his scouting report.

“Long press corner who has shown an ability to use his size and aggression as a zealot in contested catch battles. While he has traits to build upon, the Georgia game shined a light on his press inefficiency, lack of speed and inconsistent ball skills with his back to the quarterback. Coaching and scheme can improve or cover some of those areas, but the early results could be a bit uneven. If the technique catches up with the traits, the play demeanor and talent should make him a solid NFL starter.”

Joejuan Williams is still only 25 years old, and could develop into a solid boundary corner who can line up against bigger receivers. However as it currently stands, Williams is more of a depth piece who will provide some competition for that fourth cornerback spot. I still expect the Vikings to address the cornerback position in this year’s draft. That being said, it’s good to see the Vikings are finally adding depth to the position after losing the likes of Patrick Peterson, Cam Dantzler, Duke Shelley, and Kris Boyd.

Welcome to the team, Joejuan!