Twitter reaction to Mekhi Blackmon being picked by Vikings in NFL draft
The Minnesota Vikings surprised a lot of NFL draft observers by picking USC’s Mekhi Blackmon at the end of the third round on Friday night. The Vikings turned Blackmon from a Day 3 selection to a Day 2 pick. Blackmon thereby surpassed his projected position by a large margin, making him possibly the biggest riser on the whole draft board.
Vikings Wire had more on the story:
“Blackmon was a talented player in the secondary for the Trojans and has some of the measurables that the Vikings prioritize. The most notable one is the 10-yard split where Blackmon’s 1.47 second split is in the 98.5th percentile,” Tyler Forness wrote.
“His size leaves some to be desired, especially weighing only 178 lbs. Pro Football Focus had Blackmon ranked as one of only two players in college football last year with grades of 85 or higher in both man and zone coverage.”
Much more on this story in the coming days, but for now, enjoy the insights and reactions to Blackmon’s draft selection when it made headlines on Friday:
THE MAN HIMSELF
Smoke Cleared. #ThankGod pic.twitter.com/ZSyz5QLtQU
— Candace Son. (@MekhiBlackmon) April 29, 2023
TROJANS HELPING EACH OTHER
Mekhi Blackmon would go out of his way to line up against Jordan Addison every day at USC. Now they are teammates… a neat story!
— Daniel Jeremiah (@MoveTheSticks) April 29, 2023
EARNED EVERYTHING
Mekhi Blackmon was unranked out of high school and earned a lone Power 5 offer out of the JUCO ranks.
He ended his college career as an All-Pac-12 pick and #USC's No. 1 CB.
Blackmon just became a third-round pick, No. 102 to the Minnestoa Vikings: https://t.co/ueXoqNTxhY
— Chris Treviño (@ChrisNTrevino) April 29, 2023
SCRAPPER
I’m a fan of Mekhi Blackmon
Fine value at 102 (113 on my board)
Guarantee you Flores was all over Kwesi to take him past few weeks
Perfect fit for scheme — fist-fights you off line, sticky in man, good run defender, doesnt miss tackles
He has no idea hes small — all-day scrap
— Thor Nystrom (@thorku) April 29, 2023
FILM
Very good short breakdown of new Vikings CB Mekhi Blackmon by @JKBOGEN
— Thor Nystrom (@thorku) April 29, 2023
SCHEME FIT
The #Vikings selected USC CB Mekhi Blackmon at No. 102.
Per @dpbrugler, Blackmon "is instinctive and aggressive playing the ball in the air. He projects best on the perimeter with man-to-man responsibilities."
Visited pre draft, fits Brian Flores scheme.
— Alec Lewis (@alec_lewis) April 29, 2023
VIDEO
New #Vikings corner Mekhi Blackmon visited Eagan earlier this month. Fought for this going the Juco route out of high school since he didn’t have any FBS offers. One year of Juco and he then headed to Colorado and immediately played well. Finished at USC. pic.twitter.com/4x1teJC8NR
— Darren Wolfson (@DWolfsonKSTP) April 29, 2023
INSIGHTS
.@PFF_Sam on #Vikings new CB Mekhi Blackmon 👀 pic.twitter.com/8NG6eBGCHT
— Nick Dugan (@nickdugansports) April 29, 2023
NOTEBOOK
New #Vikings CB Mekhi Blackmon is a guy I liked while watching DBs. Very physical and fluid mover who and will benefit from playing in a man-heavy scheme. Here's what I wrote on him after watching: pic.twitter.com/JoZsidnDfZ
— Daniel House (@DanielHouseNFL) April 29, 2023
LIKED WHAT HE SAW
Vikings CB Mekhi Blackmon: "I took my visit out there and fell in love with the facilities and the coaching staff."
— Alec Lewis (@alec_lewis) April 29, 2023
WHOA!
Mekhi Blackmon was the second highest graded CB last season (@PFF). Blackmon had 85+ grades in both man and zone coverage — the only other CB to do that was Devon Witherspoon. pic.twitter.com/Lk4mtMKcln
— vikesinsider (@vikesinsider) April 29, 2023
ADDED DETAILS
Some PFF nuggets on new #Vikings CB Mekhi Blackmon:
-No. 4 ranked CB last year for USC
-Only missed two tackles in over 900 snaps in 2022
-Limited slot experience in 2021 with Colorado; over 1,700 college snaps on the boundary— Sam Ekstrom (@SamEkstrom) April 29, 2023
FURTHER READING
The Minnesota Vikings selected USC CB Mekhi Blackmon at the 102nd pick in the NFL Draft and there is plenty of reason to be excited. https://t.co/IoxqfdB4LZ
— TheVikingsWire (@TheVikingsWire) April 29, 2023
FOLLOW VIKINGS WIRE (AGAIN)
The Minnesota Vikings selected USC cornerback Mekhi Blackmon with the 102nd overall selection. https://t.co/WbCINmoRqk
— TheVikingsWire (@TheVikingsWire) April 29, 2023
