How big of a step forward did Trae Waynes make in his second NFL season?

Mike Zimmer pointed to former 11th-overall pick Trae Waynes as a reason to believe in a struggling rookie when broached with the topic of Laquon Treadwell’s future.

“Waynes didn’t play much his rookie year,” Zimmer said this month. “I can’t remember who else, but these things happen to some of these rookies. So I think you’re always going to give young guys the benefit of the doubt as you continue to move forward.”

So how big of a step forward did Waynes really take in his second NFL season?

A closer look showed the makings of a disruptive defender with the speed and length to stick with just about any receiver. His improvement, which included eight deflections to two penalties in the second half of the season, was overshadowed by the team’s indefensible collapse. Though the 24-year-old’s inconsistent play still reared its ugly head in spots.

By the numbers

Waynes, the Vikings’ pick of the cornerback litter in the 2015 NFL Draft, will forever be tied to Chiefs standout cornerback Marcus Peters, who was selected seven picks later.

Peters has not only been the best of the four 2015 first-round cornerbacks, but he leads the entire NFL with 14 interceptions in his two seasons. He’ll dwarf Waynes in every statistical comparison and leave Vikings fans wondering what could’ve been.

Though the gap isn’t so large when you break down the numbers by opportunity (Peters’ 1,010 snaps this season were more than Waynes’ 774 career defensive snaps).  Both Waynes and teammate Xavier Rhodes were among the league’s top 10 in deflections per coverage snap last season. You won’t see names like Richard Sherman or Patrick Peterson below with logic assuming they’re not targeted nearly as often by opposing quarterbacks.

Another bright spot came with Waynes being the Vikings’ most efficient tackler, according to Pro Football Focus. His one missed tackle was the fewest on the team as he showed to be a willing defender against the run. As a whole, Vikings cornerbacks in Rhodes, Waynes, Terence Newman and Captain Munnerlyn were among the most efficient tacklers in the league (except when facing Golden Tate in overtime).

Touchdowns allowed, like targets, aren’t always a reliable stat in bulk without knowing the coverage calls. Yet it was clear Waynes was beaten for touchdowns by Anquan Boldin and Davante Adams in Vikings’ late-season losses to the Lions and Packers.

The Vikings want physical, disruptive play from their corners and Waynes, like Rhodes, still crosses the line. While Waynes eventually curbed his penalty count, his four defensive pass interference flags tied for seventh-most in the league despite being a part-time player. All four came in the first seven games of the season.

Disruptive potential, inconsistency

The difference between Waynes’ first and fifth career starts, both against the Arizona Cardinals, showed his growth in the span of a year. In the 2015 loss to the Cardinals, Waynes jumped into a depleted secondary and busted a coverage that allowed a 42-yard touchdown after he was shoved aside on a 65-yard touchdown earlier in the game.

In the November win vs. the Cardinals, Waynes still showed he has plenty of room to grow with two illegal contact flags on Michael Floyd. He then was victim to a stellar one-handed grab by Larry Fitzgerald, which gave the Cardinals first and goal. Two plays later, Carson Palmer went at Waynes (at the top of the screen) again, but this time he couldn’t connect with Waynes in Fitzgerald’s hip pocket.

Palmer looked the opposite direction on third and goal, throwing the interception to Xavier Rhodes for a 100-yard touchdown return – the pivotal play in the Vikings’ 30-24 win.

A week later in the Thanksgiving loss at Detroit, Waynes (again at the top of the screen) surrendered a two-yard touchdown to Anquan Boldin on a scramble by Matthew Stafford. Boldin made an excellent play to stop his route when Stafford needed to escape the pressure and the veteran easily beat the young corner.

Later in the same game, with Rhodes flipping sides to follow Golden Tate, Waynes lined up on the right across from Marvin Jones, who earlier beat Waynes on a 20-yard crossing route. This time, Waynes makes the touchdown-saving deflection on third down.

Next step

Moving forward, the Vikings would like to see Waynes put the entire picture together as they’ll undoubtedly lean on him in his third NFL season in 2017.

“He has played better technique. Obviously, there are still things to work on with him,” Zimmer said in November. “But his next development will come with understanding more about the game as opposed to just playing corner.”

Zimmer and his defensive assistant coaches pride themselves on developing the mental side of the game along with physical traits. Formations, alignment and down and distance are all critical factors for a defender to quickly process before the snap – and the right assessment can put a defensive back in an advantageous spot.

In the Week 10 loss at Washingon, a better pre-snap recognition may have helped Waynes prevent this third-and-6 completion to Maurice Harris. Waynes (bottom of the screen), up at the line, elects not to press knowing the chains are only six yards behind him and the Vikings are sending a six-man pass rush. Harris beats Waynes on an out route for the first down.

A week later against Arizona, Waynes doesn’t make the same mistake and jams Michael Floyd on this third-and-3 play, helping to prevent Palmer’s desperation throw in the face of a five-man rush.