There’s a lot to like about Minnesota Vikings first-round draft pick Lewis Cine. Former NFL safety and current ESPN analyst Matt Bowen recently called the hard-hitting defensive back the “ultimate tone-setter” for a defense.
“From a coaching perspective, I want that guy. I want him in my secondary room because he is a tone-setter. He is an ultimate tone-setter,” Bowen said, when speaking with team reporter Tatum Everett.
Cine sets the tone with his willingness to pick up his lunchbox and go to work on every single snap. The physicality he brings on the backend of a defense warrants respect right out of the gates.
There’s a speed and ferocity to his game that instantly jumps out on tape. He isn’t afraid to use his body as a projectile to make a big play on the field. It’s grown-man football at its best.
“When you turn on the tape and watch him play, there’s an urgency about him taped. And that is so important when it comes to secondary play,” said Bowen. “Are you urgent? Do you see it best? When you believe it, you go and make a play. He does that consistently.”
The tone Cine’s looking to set as a rookie could be a terrifying one. During a past appearance on “All Things Covered,” he said he wanted to “stack bodies” in the NFL.
If that isn’t enough to make the hairs on your arm rise up, I don’t know what would.
