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GREEN BAY, Wis. ‐ It’s no surprise when NFL free agents signed by the Vikings speak highly of Brian Flores and his defensive scheme.
Many of them have witnessed its strengths in person. Some have seen their offenses dominate it.
Flores’ reputation as a “mad scientist” of defense, as defensive tackle signee Jonathan Allen described it March 19, is well-recognized within the league.
But it’s also caught the attention of some of this year’s top NFL draft prospects, similar to how quarterback prospects saw Minnesota as a favorite landing spot last year because of Kevin O’Connell’s reputation as a “QB whisperer.”
“I love the way he runs his defense,” Kentucky cornerback Maxwell Hairston said of Flores on Wednesday. “So versatile. I feel like I could definitely fit that scheme and go out there and ball, get the ball back to the offense.”
Hairston, who said he met with the Vikings at the NFL scouting combine in March, is one of 15 prospects attending the NFL draft in Green Bay, Wis., hoping to hear his name called during Thursday night’s first round.
Eight of those prospects play defense.
The Vikings have drafted two defenders in the first round since General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O’Connell took over ahead of the 2022 draft: edge rusher Dallas Turner, for whom they traded up to No. 17 last year, and safety Lewis Cine (No. 32, 2022), who’s now with the Eagles.
Adding another to that list seems likely, as the Vikings could use more depth at defensive tackle, cornerback and safety.
Safety Malaki Starks arrived at Georgia the fall after Cine, also a Bulldog, was drafted but mentioned the connection when saying he had a “really good” meeting with the Vikings at the combine.
Starks has been connected to the Vikings in several mock drafts. He was a Football Writers Association of America All-American in 2024 with 52 tackles and an interception.
He said Georgia’s defensive scheme prepared him for questions during his combine meeting with the Vikings, which Flores would’ve been present for.
“There’s a lot of checks,” Starks said. “A lot of communication in the back end. It’s always like that. But just being able to communicate on that level, get everybody on the same page is a big thing.”
Michigan cornerback Will Johnson also drew comparisons between the schemes he played in for the Wolverines and what Flores does with his defense.
Johnson made 14 tackles, two interceptions and three pass breakups in six games before a turf toe injury sidelined him for the remainder of the season. He had 27 tackles and four interceptions in a full 2023 season when Michigan won the national championship.
“I know [the Vikings] do a lot of pressure and a lot of fire zones, things like that,” Johnson said. “Kind of similar to what I was just playing in last year. Think that allowed me to make some plays on the ball, so that’d be cool.”
The Vikings secondary was one of the best in the league last year, leading in interceptions and creating viral attention for the celebrations that followed them.
A handful of players had record years, including cornerback Byron Murphy Jr., who led the team with six interceptions and was named the Pro Bowl defensive MVP in February.
But there was plenty last season for guys up front to take notice of, too.
Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter, projected to go Top 3 in the draft, said while he hadn’t watched much Vikings film, he had paid attention to their edge rushing group, which includes Turner and veterans Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel.
“Definitely one of the best edge rushers in the league,” Carter said of Greenard, who signed with the Vikings in 2024. “Just watching him, how much he wins, how creative he is in his rushes. Learned a lot from him.”
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Many of them have witnessed its strengths in person. Some have seen their offenses dominate it.
Flores’ reputation as a “mad scientist” of defense, as defensive tackle signee Jonathan Allen described it March 19, is well-recognized within the league.
But it’s also caught the attention of some of this year’s top NFL draft prospects, similar to how quarterback prospects saw Minnesota as a favorite landing spot last year because of Kevin O’Connell’s reputation as a “QB whisperer.”
“I love the way he runs his defense,” Kentucky cornerback Maxwell Hairston said of Flores on Wednesday. “So versatile. I feel like I could definitely fit that scheme and go out there and ball, get the ball back to the offense.”
Hairston, who said he met with the Vikings at the NFL scouting combine in March, is one of 15 prospects attending the NFL draft in Green Bay, Wis., hoping to hear his name called during Thursday night’s first round.
Eight of those prospects play defense.
The Vikings have drafted two defenders in the first round since General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O’Connell took over ahead of the 2022 draft: edge rusher Dallas Turner, for whom they traded up to No. 17 last year, and safety Lewis Cine (No. 32, 2022), who’s now with the Eagles.
Adding another to that list seems likely, as the Vikings could use more depth at defensive tackle, cornerback and safety.
Safety Malaki Starks arrived at Georgia the fall after Cine, also a Bulldog, was drafted but mentioned the connection when saying he had a “really good” meeting with the Vikings at the combine.
Starks has been connected to the Vikings in several mock drafts. He was a Football Writers Association of America All-American in 2024 with 52 tackles and an interception.
He said Georgia’s defensive scheme prepared him for questions during his combine meeting with the Vikings, which Flores would’ve been present for.
“There’s a lot of checks,” Starks said. “A lot of communication in the back end. It’s always like that. But just being able to communicate on that level, get everybody on the same page is a big thing.”
Michigan cornerback Will Johnson also drew comparisons between the schemes he played in for the Wolverines and what Flores does with his defense.
Johnson made 14 tackles, two interceptions and three pass breakups in six games before a turf toe injury sidelined him for the remainder of the season. He had 27 tackles and four interceptions in a full 2023 season when Michigan won the national championship.
“I know [the Vikings] do a lot of pressure and a lot of fire zones, things like that,” Johnson said. “Kind of similar to what I was just playing in last year. Think that allowed me to make some plays on the ball, so that’d be cool.”
The Vikings secondary was one of the best in the league last year, leading in interceptions and creating viral attention for the celebrations that followed them.
A handful of players had record years, including cornerback Byron Murphy Jr., who led the team with six interceptions and was named the Pro Bowl defensive MVP in February.
But there was plenty last season for guys up front to take notice of, too.
Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter, projected to go Top 3 in the draft, said while he hadn’t watched much Vikings film, he had paid attention to their edge rushing group, which includes Turner and veterans Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel.
“Definitely one of the best edge rushers in the league,” Carter said of Greenard, who signed with the Vikings in 2024. “Just watching him, how much he wins, how creative he is in his rushes. Learned a lot from him.”
Startribune
