Lunchbreak: Harrison Smith Tabbed as Vikings 'Most Likely Future Hall of Famer'

[Viktor]

Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox recently opined the “ideal target” in free agency for every NFL team. He made the case for Minnesota to bring in Cincinnati cornerback Williams Jackson III. The 24th overall draft pick in 2016, Jackson has started 48 of 59 games played for the Bengals over the past four seasons.


In that time, he's recorded 150 tackles (league stats), five tackles for loss, 41 passes defensed, three interceptions and a touchdown. Knox wrote:


[The Vikings will] need to create cap space and chase budget-friendly options in free agency. While William Jackson III shouldn't be considered purely a bargain-basement option, he's not one of the bigger cornerback names headed to market.


Jackson is, however, a fine young cover corner. The 28-year-old has never quite played at a Pro Bowl level, but he did allow an opposing quarterback rating of just 88.2 this past season. He has 48 games of starting experience and should have an early impact on Minnesota's defense.


This is important because the Vikings need help in the secondary. Despite using first-round picks on cornerbacks Mike Hughes and Jeff Gladney in the last three years, Minnesota's pass defense remains a massive question mark.


In 2020, the Vikings ranked 25thin passing yards allowed and 30thin yards allowed per pass attempt. Adding Jackson to the mix could help the secondary trend in a better direction.


Meanwhile, Knox said the Browns should go after Vikings safety Anthony Harris in free agency.


The Cleveland Browns proved that their offense is playoff-caliber this past season, but there's work to do on the other side of the ball. The Browns ranked 21stin points allowed and 22ndagainst the pass in 2020. A versatile safety like Anthony Harris would go a long way toward straightening out Cleveland's defense.


Harris, who was given the franchise tag in 2020, is a ball-hawking free safety with nine interceptions, four fumble recoveries and 33 passes defended in his six-year career. He's a commodity that will be well-known to Cleveland [Head Coach] Kevin Stefanski, who was previously with Harris with the Vikings.