Storyline: Xavier Rhodes has proven he’s a top-tier cornerback–a top 5 player since Week 10 of the 2015 season. But if you rank a corner on his ability to lock-down his opposing match-up, then Rhodes is a Top 3 CB, at least. Written by Austin Feela, Denver CO.
Xavier Rhodes is one of many young emerging stars on the Minnesota Vikings talented young roster. He has been showing off his talent for several years now this is no surprise. He’s starting to make some noise around the NFL, many analysts are starting to consider him a top corner.
With lockdown performances coming against some of the NFL’s top receivers like Kelvin Benjamin, Odell Beckham, and Deandre Hopkins. Xavier Rhodes is a big contribution to this dominant Mike Zimmer defense. In Rhodes rookie season the 23 year old was set to make some big contributions and he did just that. He set the Vikings rookie record with 23 passes defensed on 76 targets, also had 48 tackles and 1 forced fumble, he managed to do all of this while only playing 13 games and starting in only 6 of those games.
Courtesy: Pioneer Press
At the beginning of the season Rhodes did not play well this led to him only starting from week 9 of the season till week 14 and then he was sidelined with an injury for the rest of the year. Xavier came into his second year as the vikings number 1 corner on the depth chart. He earned this spot with his performances at the end of the year that proved he was learning the position fast. Rhodes was set to make some impact on this new and improved Mike Zimmer defense. Rhodes again struggled at the beginning of the year but closed the last month out with 4 performances that were dominant.
Although he did not have a great first half of the year he went up against 2 top receivers in the NFL from weeks 4-5, in week 4 Rhodes went head to head with star wideout Julio Jones holding him to a respectable 82 yards on 8 targets for 6 receptions and 0 Touchdowns. Next week he matched up with wideout Jordy Nelson, he held him to 3 targets for only 1 catch but got burned for a 66 yard touchdown.
In week 8 Rhodes matched up against Vincent Jackson and had a phenomenal game holding him to 1 catch for 13 yards on 5 targets. In the last 4 games of the season Rhodes completely dominated every player that lined up opposite of him. He played receivers like Calvin Johnson, Alshon Jeffery, Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker. He allowed just 54 yards for 7 catches, and no touchdowns.
On the season Pro Football Focus ranked him 15th among all cornerbacks and 9th when it came down to strictly coverage grades. In the last 4 games of the season he was ranked 3rd behind Richard Sherman and Chris Harris. Rhodes stats might have not been there for his first full time season but his competitiveness and willingness to not back down against top receivers proved that he could compete with some of the best. The question was not if Rhodes could play heading into the 2015 season, it was if he could do it on a consistent week to week basis. He had stretches of bad games and stretches of good games.
Xavier came into the 2015 season as the number 1 corner once again, this defense on the verge of a breakout season and Rhodes looking to lockdown some of the best. Jeremy Maclin was locked up in week 5 when Rhodes held him to 3 catches on 4 targets for 48 yards. Once again he started to really turn it on in the second half of the season and when he started showing up to the games it was top 5, Elite play from Rhodes.
In the final seven weeks, Rhodes broke up 7 passes while only surrendering 1 touchdown. He shadowed Julio Jones the whole game in week 12 when the Vikings took on the Falcons in Atlanta. Julio ended the game with 5 receptions on 7 targets for 56 yards, WOW! Great game for a top 3 WR… in weeks 13-14 Rhodes locked up the left side of the field while Carson Palmer and Russell Wilson torched the opposite side. The next week the Vikings took on a Terrible Bears team in Minneapolis, Alshon Jeffery had 1 reception on 5 targets for 10 yards, yes 10 yards. That was Alshon’s worst performance in the last 2 years. Alshon has had success on Rhodes in the past but this week he was no problem for Rhodes.
For week 16 Xavier was set to match up and possibly shadow Odell Beckham before Odell and Norman had a cat fight in Carolina prior to their Sunday Night Football matchup. Rhodes came into week 17 having a solid season thus far on a young Vikings defense that was 5th in scoring defense in the NFL. The Vikings were looking to “upset” the packers at Lambeau and take the NFC north title for the first time since 2009. The game came down to the final minutes when Rhodes picked off a scrambling Aaron Rodgers in the endzone with 2:12 left in the game, that sealed it, Vikes get the W. Rhodes capped off a great 2015 season in possibly the best way he could have imagined. Rhodes came into the this season once again not getting talked about anywhere, just like every other player on the Vikings defense. Rhodes looking to make big improvements once again, a slight knee sprain held him out the first two games.
Rhodes dressed up for week 3, he was coming back to a challenging matchup as he was matched up against one of the best young WR’s in the NFL Kelvin already having a hot season with 15 receptions for 199 yards and 3 touchdowns. The 6’5 star wideout ran into a Rhodes closed sign during every play in Charlotte, I don’t know if he didn’t have his contacts in or what but that was the only goose egg Kelvin had ever had in a game. Kelvin had never had a game with less than 5 targets prior to facing Rhodes, Kelvin and Cam have great chemistry there is no doubt about that, he just ran into Elite competition and flat out was not prepared. Rhodes had this good of a game on a knee that was not 100%, he looked like he was still a bit ginger on that knee while making cuts and turns. The knee was getting better and so was Rhodes. The Vikings came into a Monday night game against the New York Giants, the difference from last year was they had their dynamic WR in the game this time.
Prior to the game Rhodes was told that he was going to be shadowing Odell all game. Rhodes played another unbelievable game for the second week straight, this time getting in Odell’s head early in the game and not letting him get anything done after that. Odell had 3 catches for 23 yards in about a 3 minute time frame during the second quarter, besides that Odell was completely shut down the entire game. Odell did not see what he had coming against him clearly, Rhodes had a couple of beautiful pass breakups and picked off Eli when he threw a bomb to Odell early in the 3rd quarter. Coming off of his two biggest performances of his career he was going up against another top tier WR in the NFL, the victim being Deandre Hopkins. Rhodes brought it to him, Deandre had 0 catches on 0 targets for 0 yards. At the end of the 3rd quarter Rhodes had held him to a goose egg, the Rhodes were closed once again. The Vikings were up 31-6 and Bill O’Brien couldn’t do anything about it.
Rhodes has proven all three seasons that he is a top tier cornerback. Rhodes has been a top 5 cornerback in the NFL since week 10 of the 2015 NFL season. I think it is time to stop saying Revis is still in that conversation, the top in the game right now is Josh Norman. There is no question about it, every attribute in him is phenomenal that is why he is the top paid corner. He is the best man corner in the game, you don’t see him get burned ever. Richard Sherman and Patrick Peterson are 2 and 3 they can go either way but both of them are going to lock up your number 1 on a weekly basis. Those top three to me are pretty clear the next group you can mix and match quite a bit, but if you want to argue in Aqib Talib, Chris Harris, Malcolm Butler or Marcus Peters you have to put Rhodes in that conversation he has been wrecking top receivers in the NFL for 3 years and even if he doesn’t have all of those interceptions like other corners that is because he is lock down, if you watch a Vikings game you will see that opposing teams throw at Rhodes very minimally because they know those receivers are not getting that separation.
If you are purely ranking a corner on his ability to lockdown his opposing matchup he is a Top 3 CB at least. If you are ranking overall best corners in the league he is a top 5 player. Xavier is only 26 years old coming into his prime if he keeps performing like this and stays away from the injuries he could have one of the best careers ever for a Minnesota Vikings Defensive Back and possibly be one of the best corners to play the game…
I know it is early but I have this much confidence in Xavier, he has all of the physical features to do it along with the best Defensive Coach in the NFL. From now on Xavier Rhodes needs to be consistently ranked as a top 5 corner, he has proven that he is no joke. From now on the Rhodes are closed. SKOL VIKES.
