At one time, the cornerback position was the one of the most talked about among football fans and conversations. Revis was talked about like he was the second coming of Deion Sanders and rightfully so because, at one time, he was the top cornerback in the business. The position is still stacked with guys such as Patrick Peterson, Richard Sherman, Josh Norman, Chris Harris, Marcus Peters, Malcolm Butler and Xavier Rhodes. Today, Xavier was rewarded with a contract extension. A five-year/$70 million extension which makes him one of the highest-paid cornerbacks in the NFL today.
Every NFL team wants to seek out an old-school, classic shutdown cornerback and their responsibility is to seek out the opponents top wide receiver and most dangerous pass catcher and simply eliminate him from the opposition’s game plan. The Minnesota Vikings are extremely fortunate to have that in Xavier Rhodes who has truly elevated his play at the position to the elite conversation. When he was drafted in 2015, he was hot and cold and extremely inconsistent. What a difference a year can truly make. In 2016, he lined up against the top receivers and handled his business. This is a guy I saw make it difficult for Jordy Nelson, DeAndre Hopkins, Odell Beckham and Kelvin Benjamin, all number one receivers on their depth charts. What I enjoy about his style of play is the ability to extend the play and stay on his feet after making the interception so it’s safe to say he plays with an offensive mindset on the defensive side of the ball and he’s more than capable of returning one for a pick six, remember when he intercepted Carson Palmer last season? That right there should’ve told you everything about him. He will also extend himself to make a play as well. He’s a big physical corner that likes to jam receivers at the line of scrimmage and once he gets his hands on you, it’s pretty much over. He uses his size to his advantage and it helps him tremendously.
