MINNEAPOLIS -- For all the defensive improvements the Minnesota Vikings have made under Mike Zimmer, they still seem in search of a solution at the safety spot next to Harrison Smith.
The addition of former Titans safety Michael Griffin could provide an answer at the position for 2016, but it remains to be seen if the Vikings have Smith's long-term counterpart in the organization. It might not be the most critical spot to the Vikings' defense, but it appears to be one of the final puzzle pieces as the Vikings try to craft an elite defense.
We'll wrap up our draft preview series in the defensive backfield, looking at another possible target for the Vikings this weekend.
Position: Defensive back
Current personnel: Xavier Rhodes (signed through 2016), Captain Munnerlyn (2016), Terence Newman (2016), Trae Waynes (2018), Michael Griffin (2016), Melvin White (2016), Marcus Sherels (2017), Jabari Price (2017), Harrison Smith (2015), Andrew Sendejo (2019), Antone Exum (2017), Anthony Harris (2017), John Lowdermilk (2016).
Projected starters: Rhodes (CB), Newman (CB), Smith (S), Griffin (S)
Departures: Josh Robinson (free agent, signed with Buccaneers),
Total cap charge: Cornerback: $16.22 million (19th); Safety: $14.28 million (fifth)
Scouting report: The position to watch will be left cornerback, where Newman returns at age 38 and Waynes will try to win a starting spot in his second season. The 11th overall pick in the 2015 draft played sparingly as a rookie, and while Zimmer said that wasn't necessarily a bad thing, Waynes needs to win the spot this year. Rhodes returns as the starting right cornerback, and Munnerlyn will be the slot corner. In Griffin, the Vikings added a safety who could provide their long-sought complement to Smith, who Zimmer believes can be even more dynamic if he has the right player next to him. Griffin is 31, but the Vikings are hoping he can be the deep coverage safety they need. Griffin is by no means entrenched at the spot, however; the Vikings could take a look at Harris or Exum after both players got some time last year, and Sendejo returns on a new four-year deal after starting most of last season. Smith has become one of the league's best at his position and should be in line for a contract extension soon.
The last defensive back drafted: The Vikings took Waynes in the first round last year, making him the highest-drafted defensive back in team history. Their last safety selected was in 2014, when the Vikings used a sixth-round pick on Exum.
Potential targets: Safety is more of a need for the Vikings than cornerback, though that could lead the Vikings to some of the same players other teams might view as corners. General manager Rick Spielman said on Tuesday that the team will look at bigger corners who might be able to convert to safety in the NFL -- as Exum did -- and there are plenty of pure safety options available to them, as well. West Virginia's Karl Joseph is a possibility for the Vikings in the early rounds, if they decided to go that direction, and the Vikings also brought Clemson's T.J. Green to their top 30 event earlier this month. They conducted a private workout with Ohio State safety Vonn Bell, and took a look at K.J. Dillon (Joseph's teammate at West Virginia), though it sounded as though the Vikings were more interested in Dillon as a return man. If the Vikings do decide to look at a corner, they'd have a number of options in later rounds; they met with North Carolina Central's Ryan Smith before the draft and got several looks at Minnesota cornerbacks Eric Murray and Briean Boddy-Calhoun.
Need rating (scale of 1 to 10): Cornerback: 4. Safety: 6.