As the NFL braces for the start of free agency, the Minnesota Vikings will have a lot of money and a lot of holes they need to fill on their offense. Despite their entire defensive backs room needing to be rebuilt, the unknown status of quarterback JJ McCarthy could see the team bring back Sam Darnold on a one-year, $40-million deal.
Due to their needs, there is a belief that the Vikings could spend multiple Day-3 draft picks to supplement their defensive back room and UCLA’s Devin Kirkwood came up as an option during multiple conversations held with draft analysts.
I had a chance to catch up with Kirkwood to discuss his feelings about potentially becoming a Viking and his feelings about being a part of Brian Flores’ defense.
“I would be honored to be given the opportunity to play in a Brian Flores defense. Man defense is his trademark, which is the system that I have crafted much of my defensive career on,” Kirkwood said. “I believe that Brian Flores’ defense system gives his players the freedom to make game-changing plays. His defenses often put players in positions to succeed and showcase their skills. He instills the true importance of teamwork and communication on and off the field, which is a strong core value that I live by. Overall, I feel that if given the opportunity to play in a Brian Flores defense, it would be both a challenging and rewarding experience for me as a young professional athlete. It would push me to grow as a player, both physically and mentally, and prepare me to excel at the highest level of my professional game.” Kirkwood told to Bruins on SI exclusively.
“I believe that I would fit within Coach Flores’ scheme based on my knowledge of Coach Flores’ defenses. Defenses that are built on aggressive blitzing, disrupting the quarterback, and forcing turnovers. That is where I definitely feel that I can be of great use as either a DB, nickel or cornerback. I play with an attacking mindset and always willing to take calculated risks in order to ensure that we accomplish our set goals. Always willing to play multiple roles or positions, depending on the game plan. Which ultimately means spending extra time training and studying film in order to ensure that I understand the nuances of various schemes.”
The Vikings will lose four cornerbacks and two safeties to free agency. Kirkwood has the physicality, mindset and attitude for a Flores defense. Only time will tell if both sides will get a chance to work with each other.
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