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Vikings Picked as Best Landing Spot for a Veteran Cornerback
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- Vikings Picked as Best Landing Spot for a Veteran Cornerback
Katie Stratman-Imagn Images
Once again, the Minnesota Vikings are facing an annual tradition of having question marks in their secondar y going into the offseason.
As of now, the Vikings have just four cornerbacks under contract for 2026, and two of them are former undrafted free agents in Dwight McGlothern and Zemaiah Vaughn . They also have question marks at safety after Josh Metellus had a relatively disappointing season, and we may finally have to face the reality that Harrison Smith has played the final snaps of his illustrious career.
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Inevitably, Minnesota will have to add more depth in their secondary, and PFF has picked the Vikings as the top landing spot for a veteran cornerback as free agency approaches.
Vikings Picked for Veteran CB
Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Mike Hilton (21) celebrates a stop in the fourth quarter of the NFL Week 18 game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cincinnati Bengals at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. The Bengals won 19-17 to finish the regular season at 9-8.
That cornerback is Mike Hilton , who PFF has ranked as the 58th-best free agent this offseason.
Hilton is a rags to richest type of story as he began his NFL career as an undrafted free agent picked up by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2016. After bouncing around a little bit during his rookie year, he found a landing spot with the Pittsburgh Steelers .
Ultimately, Hughes would become a staple on defense in the 2017 season, appearing in all 16 games with four starts. Since then, he has put together nearly a decade of consistent NFL play before appearing in just two games during the 2025 campaign with the Indianapolis Colts .
Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Mike Hilton (21) celebrates a sack in the first quarter of the NFL Week 16 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Cleveland Browns at Paycor Stadium in downtown Cincinnati on Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024. The Bengals led 17-0 at halftime.
Interestingly, though, Hilton has largely played as a slot cornerback throughout his NFL career. In fact, it's overwhelmingly his top spot on defense. He has played 4766 snaps in the slot compared to just 140 snaps as a boundary cornerback in his nine NFL seasons.
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If the Vikings were to bring Hilton in, that would mean Byron Murphy remains as one of the starting boundary cornerbacks in Brian Flores' defense, which is the opposite of what many fans and pundits have advocated for.
The reasoning behind this move from Mason Cameron, the PFF analyst who picked the spot, is interesting though. Take a look:
"Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores has a reputation for running the most aggressive, blitz-heavy defenses in the NFL. That scheme requires multifaceted cornerback play, particularly in the slot, where the Vikings frequently deploy Byron Murphy Jr. Although talented, Murphy struggled inside in 2025, ranking in the sixth percentile in slot PFF coverage grade (49.3). Adding a full-time slot cornerback to better fill out the roster would allow Murphy to remain outside, where he's far more effective."
Nov 16, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings cornerback Byron Murphy (7) reacts after a tackle during the first quarter against the Chicago Bears at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images
Hilton also turns 32 years old in March, which means he likely isn't a long-term solution for the Vikings at the cornerback spot. Especially after a 2025 season in which he was released by the Miami Dolphins after training camp and then suffered a season-ending injury in October, the end of his prime may be coming soon.
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However, Cameron has an answer for that too:
"While Mike Hilton saw limited time on the field in 2025, his overall profile suggests he has far more to contribute in the right situation. Hilton could step in and man the slot role to a high level, evidenced by his 76.3 slot PFF coverage grade since the start of 2023 — the seventh-highest mark in the NFL over that span.
Additionally, the veteran cornerback could be used as a versatile weapon in blitz packages, as he has been in previous stops with the Bengals and Steelers, with whom he generated seven or more pressures in each full season of his career."
We'll see; maybe Brian Flores can make more magic happen in his defense this year.
Editor's Note: Information from Pro Football Reference helped with this article.
