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Trae Waynes: Not Forgotten First Round Talent

By Paul Bellesen

Oct 25, 2015; Detroit, MI, USA; Minnesota Vikings cornerback Trae Waynes (26) warms up before the game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Vikings win 28-19. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 25, 2015; Detroit, MI, USA; Minnesota Vikings cornerback Trae Waynes (26) warms up before the game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Vikings win 28-19. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports /
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Now that the focus is on the new crop of rookies for the Minnesota Vikings, let us not forget about the extremely talented first round pick, Trae Waynes, that sat in the shadows last year waiting for an opportunity.

Last season there was a lot of hype for the eleventh pick of the first round, Trae Waynes. Zimmer decided to take his time to groom the uber-athletic talented cornerback behind Terence Newman, who had a very good season. NFL.com writer Conor Orr put together a list of 2015 rookies who are not to be forgotten this season. Waynes was number one on his list.

Here is what he had to say about Waynes

"1. Trae Waynes, cornerback, Minnesota Vikings (Round 1, pick No. 11): Waynes only played 215 snaps during his rookie season. This happened for several reasons — for one, theVikings got an incredible 981 snaps out of 37-year-old Terence Newman, who re-upped for one more year in March. Also, under head coach Mike Zimmer, the team prefers to bring along cornerbacks slowly. It is one of the toughest positions to develop at the next level, with some scouts listing it right behind quarterback at the top of their list. The Vikings spent their second-round pick on a corner this year (Mackensie Alexander) who could factor in as a dime player and Captain Munnerlyn is plugged in at nickel (with Xavier Rhodes at the outside corner spot). Still, there was some raw ability and instinct to like in the little bit of tape Waynes put out last season. His lone start against the Cardinals had some good and bad, but was underscored by a pretty consistent level of aggression and physicality. Newman was a joy to watch last year, but our guess is that he will not play close to 1,000 snaps again this year, with Waynes figuring to get a bigger piece of the pie. We recognize that this prediction will require us to suspend some belief about how the NFL works and how impatient coaches can get, but the physical tools are there. Will he be a Pro Bowler in 2016? Probably not. Is there a good chance he could double or maybe triple his snap count from his rookie season? Yes."

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Hopefully this season, Waynes will take over the starting spot opposite of Xavier Rhodes. I expect our young group of talented cornerbacks to help sure up this already super bowl caliber defense. This is Waynes’ job to lose. There will be a hell of a competition between all the talent we have in that position group.

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