Patrick Peterson

In his first season with the Vikings, he missed four games due to a hamstring injury and a stint on the reserve/COVID-19 list, but he still produced when on the field, recording 45 tackles, five pass breakups and a pick-six in 13 contests. Peterson will slot in as a starting cornerback opposite Cameron Dantzler in 2022.

Peterson's best years probably are behind him as he turns 31 in July, but he should bring some stability to a secondary that struggled last season. The 2011 first-round pick allowed a 98.2 passer rating in coverage last year, while also adding 61 tackles, eight pass defenses and three interceptions to his ledger.

After kicking off his career with three first-team All-Pro honors in his first five seasons, Peterson has only made one such team (second in 2018) over the last four years. While his real-life value may be dwindling, he still managed 50-plus tackles and exactly two interceptions in both of the past two campaigns. Such output may be Peterson's ceiling, though, as he enters his age-30 season and with a more exploitable cornerback (second-year pro Byron Murphy) on the other side.

A three-time All-Pro cornerback, Peterson is rarely bothered by opposing quarterbacks, giving up the eighth-fewest catches (43) among cornerbacks who logged at least 75 percent of their team's defensive snaps last season. Consequently, he posted a prototypical modest stat line -- 51 tackles (45 solo) and three interceptions -- with Marcus Cooper working on the other side. In 2017, Peterson is expected to have veteran Justin Bethel opposite him, so similar output should be expected yet again.

One of four players to earn five Pro Bowl bids before his 26th birthday -- also, running backs Jim Brown, Barry Sanders, and Emmitt Smith -- Peterson bounced back from a lackadaisical 2014 campaign in which he was growing accustomed to playing with diabetes. Despite the diagnosis, Peterson has 15 total passes defended over the past two seasons, displaying quarterbacks' lack of eagerness to throw his way. While he's also an ironman, completing full schedules in each of his five seasons, a lack of opportunities doesn't lend itself to IDP relevance.

Peterson is aiming to rebound from a subpar season, for his standards, with the new-found knowledge that he's diabetic incorporated into his daily routine. Looking sluggish at times, his first month-plus was characterized by defensive holds and pass interference calls, yet he still corralled 50 tackles (43 solo), seven passes defended, three interceptions, one defensive touchdown, and one sack on the year. Because he has no absences in his first four campaigns, expect him to remain near the top of the IDP heap.

Peterson doesn't rack up tackle totals on a yearly basis, but does get a fair amount of turnovers. He couldn't equal his seven interceptions from 2012, recording only three in 2013, but the speedster is still a threat to record high totals in the category. With no assignments to worry about other than on the defensive side of the ball, Peterson's production should line up with his status as the league's highest-paid cornerback, especially due to the presence of Antonio Cromartie opposite him.

Peterson will see opponents' top wideouts as he is the Cardinals' top corner. He may see less time on special teams due to rookie and fellow college teammate Tyrann Mathieu.

Peterson badly struggled in coverage as a rookie and failed to make plays on the ball (two interceptions), but he added a solid total of 64 tackles (59 solo), one sack and 13 passes defended. As anyone remotely familiar with the LSU product knows, though, Peterson's value is inflated by his punt return skills. He returned four punts for touchdowns as a rookie. He should be good for at least one or two more touchdowns this season and could get better as a defender.