The Minnesota Vikings received a gigantic blow on Wednesday, as cornerback Mekhi Blackmon of Hayward, California tore his anterior cruciate ligament on his first day of practice according to Kevin Seifert of ESPN. The injury leads one to question the necessity of franchises having hard practices before he even the meaningless preseason games start.
Blackmon reportedly suffered the injury in a seven-on-seven drill. He was able to walk to the locker room, but was walking gingerly and slowly.
In 2023, Blackmon played his rookie season with the Vikings, and had 41 combined tackles (34 solo tackles and seven assisted tackles), three tackles for a loss, one interception, eight pass deflections, and one fumble recovery.
Of Blackmon’s eight pass deflections, three came in one game. They occurred in a 24-10 Vikings win over the Green Bay Packers on October 29. Blackmon also had his lone interception in a 27-19 Vikings win over the New Orleans Saints on November 12, and a fumble recovery in a 3-0 Vikings win over the Las Vegas Raiders on December 10. The 3-0 Vikings win over the Raiders was tied for the lowest scoring game in the National Football League since 1943.
The Vikings selected Blackmon in the third round. 102nd overall, in the 2023 NFL Draft. He played his college football at College of San Mateo, University of Colorado, and the University of Southern California. Blackmon is one of only two players to be drafted in the NFL and come out of College of San Mateo. The other is Julian Edelman of Redwood City, California, who was the Super Bowl MVP with the New England Patriots in 2019.
