NFL Rumors: Harrison Smith to start for Minnesota Vikings?
When the Minnesota Vikings drafted former Notre Dame safety Harrison Smith in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft, it was expected that he would immediately plug in as a starter.
However, when the Vikings kicked off training camp back in late July, Smith took the majority of his snaps with the second-team defense. It was assumed that coaches wanted him to earn the starting job, and apparently he’s getting closer to doing so.
According to Tom Pelissero of 1500ESPN.com, Smith has been receiving reps with the first-team defense for the past three days. Taking the place of current starter Mistral Raymond, Smith has stepped in to the strong safety spot and made an early impression.
“He hasn’t blinked. He kind of fits in,” Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier told Pelissero. “We wanted to see how he would respond, being in there with [the starters], and so far, he’s responded well.”
Frazier continued, saying that Smith has “stepped up and done well when he’s been in with the first unit.”
Assuming that Smith steals the starting strong safety gig, Raymond and inconsistent starter Jamarca Sanford should split reps at free safety. Fellow rookie Robert Blanton, another Notre Dame alumnus, is also in the running for some playing time at the other safety position opposite Smith.
I knew it wouldn’t be long before Smith took the reins at one of the Vikings’ safety spots. The only remaining question is whether or not he’ll actually be an upgrade from what Minnesota fielded in 2011. Looks like we’ll be finding out sooner rather than later.
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