Kris

Boyd

CB Mark Fields has been activated in a corresponding roster move. A starter the past six weeks, 2019 seventh-rounder Boyd made it only one snap in Week 14 against the Bucs. He will now miss the rest of the regular season. If the Vikes cash in their long-shot playoff bid, Boyd can return for the Wild Card round. In terms of performance, Boyd has not cured what has ailed the Vikes’ injury-ruined secondary.

Corners Mike Hughes (neck), Holton Hill (foot), and Kris Boyd (hamstring/back) are looking questionable for Week 8 after Hughes and Hill missed Thursday’s practice and Boyd was limited. The Vikings face off against a Green Bay offense that shredded them in Week 1. Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams couldn’t be in a better spot.

Cook (groin) is expected to return following the Week 7 bye. The two cornerback injuries are poorly timed with Calvin Ridley and Julio Jones coming to town. The Vikings have been one of the worst passing defenses this season. That shouldn’t change this week.

The deal includes a $109,676 signing bonus. With Boyd under contract, the Vikings now have ten of their 12 draft picks locked up. Of that group, only first-round C Garrett Bradbury and seventh-round LS Austin Cutting have yet to sign.

Boyd (6’0/201) made 33 starts in the Longhorns’ secondary, tallying 40 career pass breakups, four picks, and four forced fumbles and earning first-team All-Big 12 as a 2018 senior. Boyd tested as a plus athlete at the Combine with 4.45 jets, a quick-twitch 6.94 three-cone time, and a springy 10-foot-7 broad jump. Some scouts considered moving Boyd to safety, but he is toolsy enough to stay at corner with a Dre Kirkpatrick-level ceiling.

Boyd (6’0/201) made 33 starts in the Longhorns’ secondary, tallying 40 career pass breakups, four picks, and four forced fumbles and earning first-team All-Big 12 as a 2018 senior. Boyd tested as a plus athlete at the Combine with 4.45 jets, a quick-twitch 6.94 three-cone time, and a springy 10-foot-7 broad jump. Some scouts considered moving Boyd to safety, but he is toolsy enough to stay at corner with a Dre Kirkpatrick-level ceiling.

“In a weird way, I think he’s become more mentally tough by playing against teams like Oklahoma and Oklahoma State and West Virginia,” the scout told Zierlein. Playing against pass-happy offenses can certainly help a player like Boyd (5'11/201), who in addition to dealing with the physical challenge also has to navigate the mental challenge of moving on to the next play regardless of the result. The former Longhorn ran the 40-yard dash in 4.45 seconds at the NFL Scouting Combine, and Jon Ledyard of The Draft Network projects Boyd to be a Day 3 selection next month.

Boyd was a player that was consistently listed as a disappointment at the Senior Bowl for work in both the game and practices. This is a friendly reminder that the 5-foot-11, 195-pound corner is a quality athlete with the size and strength to play on the outside. There are questions about Boyd’s fluidity that can’t really be answered in Indianapolis, but this is a solid time for a corner that needed it.

The week got off to a bad start when Boyd -- supposedly a ‘big’ corner -- measured just 5-foot-11, 195-pounds. He also struggled over the week with Crabbs calling Boyd “pretty bad” at practices. Then the game came, and Boyd picked up three flags. He was listed as a potential Day 2 pick by many coming into Mobile. It sounds like he leaves the event with that status in doubt.

Boyd (6'0/195) was constantly picked upon in one-on-one drills in part to “athletic deficiencies” and being “a technical mess.” Yikes. The former Longhorn also didn’t have the best 2018 season, so his top-100 status is in doubt as of now. Ledyard does believe that Boyd can make it in the NFL as a depth corner, who can hit hard, but is not optimistic about being a reliable starting corner.