Mekhi Blackmon soars up the board, goes to Vikings at 102 in NFL draft
Mekhi Blackmon gave USC football an unexpected treat on a Friday night.
The 2023 NFL draft is underway, and a number of USC Trojans were expected to see their names called.
One of them is Mekhi Blackmon, the cornerback who transferred from Colorado for his final collegiate season. Blackmon spent four seasons at Colorado before coming to USC, and he finished his collegiate career with 101 solo tackles and five interceptions.
As a Trojan, he put up career-highs with 45 solo tackles and three interceptions in 2022.
Blackmon was definitely expected to be drafted, but few experts had him going off the board on Day 2, before the fourth round. Most experts thought Blackmon was a Day 3-level pick.
The Minnesota Vikings had other ideas.
The Vikings took Blackmon at pick No. 102, just before the end of the third round. Blackmon will join Jordan Addison, a 2022 USC teammate, on the Minnesota roster.
The Vikings’ defense was bad last season. Their 2023 offense, with Addison aboard, should be outstanding, so it’s not as though Minnesota has to have a spectacular defense in order to be a Super Bowl contender. That defense has to be respectable, though, and it’s clear the organization thinks Blackmon can be part of the restoration process.
The Minnesota Vikings selected USC cornerback Mekhi Blackmon with the 102nd overall selection. https://t.co/WbCINmoRqk
— TheVikingsWire (@TheVikingsWire) April 29, 2023
