Byron Murphy Jr.? That’s an easy one. He’s the top Vikings corner, the one who gets shuffled all over the defense due to a versatile skill set. Akayleb Evans? Again, easy. The long and strong sophomore does a nice job of matching up along the outside, showing off good physicality as a tackler.
What about Mekhi Blackmon and Andrew Booth Jr? Well, the answer for these two isn’t so clear cut. The sophomore (who is 23) is in a heated battle with the rookie (who is 24) for playing time in the Brian Flores defense. The season’s snap allotment has tilted pretty heavily in one person’s favor — Blackmon is sitting on 136 defensive snaps whereas Booth is sitting on just 50 defensive snaps — but the recent distribution of playing time has been a lot more muddled.