Reed Hoffmann/Associated Press

The Minnesota Vikings have seen their defense lose and regain its footing off and on down the homestretch of the 2014 season, but one player in particular has become a firm brick in the foundation. Cornerback Xavier Rhodes is emerging as a shutdown defender in the Minnesota secondary.

Rhodes is a physically talented individual. That much has never been up for debate.

His play over the first year and change of his career was very up-and-down, because inconsistencies plagued his play and hid the true potential all too frequently. A drastic change in defensive scheme also threw a wrench into the plans for Rhodes.

The second-year CB has responded to Mike Zimmer’s new role for him perfectly, steadily becoming a better player in the scheme over the course of the 2014 season.

Improvement is evident in advanced statistics gathered from Pro Football Focus premium (subscription required).

Weeks 1-4: 76 qualifiers Snaps/Rec Yds/Snap Passer Rating TD:INT 9.1 (50) 1.50 (55) 78.0 (25) 0:0 Source: Pro Football Focus premium

* Fifty percent of defensive snaps required to qualify. Snaps in the table = snaps in pass coverage. Ranking in parentheses.

Rhodes’ first four games were mediocre. He was giving receptions at a high rate and giving up yardage at an even higher one. Not giving up a touchdown helped keep the passer rating to a respectable number and that would continue.

Weeks 5-8: 72 Qualifiers Snaps/Rec Yds/Snap Passer Rating TD:INT 13.1 (11) .68 (7) 85.0 (29) 1:0 Source: Pro Football Focus premium

Over the next four games, Week 5 to Week 8, Rhodes drastically improved in reception and yardage measures per coverage snap. His targets dropped from 24 over the first interval to 20 over this one, which helped deflate the per-snap statistics.

Weeks 9-13: 65 Qualifiers Snaps/Rec Yds/Snap Passer Rating TD:INT 21.3 (1) .66 (4) 29.5 (3) 0:1 Source: Pro Football Focus premium

The most recent stretch is Rhodes’ most impressive. His targets stayed steady at 21 over the last four games, but the receptions and yardage allowed dropped again. This is also another four-game stretch without giving up a touchdown reception.

Opponent passer rating on throws into his coverage puts him in the same sentence with the league’s best cornerbacks from Week 9 to Week 13.

Passer rating on targets from Weeks 9-13: 1. Richard Sherman 2. Joe Haden 3. Xavier Rhodes (of CBs w/ 50% of team's snaps) — Darren Page (@DarrenPage) December 2, 2014

Sherman and Haden certainly classify as shutdown cornerbacks in the league today. Rhodes is inserting himself into that conversation with his recent play.

What traits does Rhodes possess that set him apart, and why are things clicking now?

His game is built on tremendous physical traits. Rhodes is equal parts tall, heavy, lanky, fast and quick. His combination of size and athleticism is difficult to find at the position.

Combine Percentiles Height 70th 10-yd Split 96th Weight 95th Vertical 92nd Arm 96th Broad 97th 40-yd Dash 71st MockDraftable.com

Logically, a heavier and taller defensive back doesn’t post the 40-yard dash that Rhodes ran at the combine, much less the incredible 10-yard dash he put on the board. The combination of these traits point to how explosive an athlete he is.

In order to hang with elite receivers in the NFL, a CB needs to meet some baseline numbers. Rhodes’ numbers go well beyond minimum requirements.

Top cornerbacks must be prepared for a variety of receivers, from jitterbugs like Antonio Brown to redwoods like Alshon Jeffery to speedsters like Jordy Nelson. Rhodes’ physical capabilities give him the tools to handle all of the above.

Going back to earlier in the season, one play hits the radar as evidence of his rare athletic talents.

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

Inside receiver Roddy White will release across the deep middle of the field for the Atlanta Falcons, dragging the single-high safety with him. That leaves Rhodes in an unenviable position, tracking the tremendously talented Julio Jones on a double move without help.

He does so from off-man coverage, the most difficult technique for a CB against a receiver like Jones.

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

As soon as Jones plants to break back to the inside, Rhodes is burned by all means. Cornerbacks just cannot recover after they have committed to the corner route against a receiver of this caliber.

Rhodes has to immediately spin 180 degrees to run with the deep route, and he can’t afford to waste a single step in doing so.

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

When Matt Ryan puts the ball up, Rhodes has closed on Jones down the field and will sky for a crucial pass deflection at the 25-yard line. Flat-out speed saved Rhodes in a hole that defensive backs almost never make it out of.

Rhodes has everything a coach looks for in a man-coverage CB. Because of the athletic traits, he can be left in off-man coverage like this play and be relied upon to close down receivers at all distances down the field.

He had this athleticism a year ago, though. Something else is setting him apart in 2014.

After a sloppy start to his career, something many young players go through in their adjustment to the NFL game, Rhodes is beginning to learn how to properly utilize his size and length to affect receivers before and when the ball arrives.

In completely shutting down Carolina rookie Kelvin Benjamin on Sunday, Rhodes put on a show of his newly developed skills.

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

At the top of Benjamin’s route, he gives a straight-arm push to Rhodes, creating the separation that very few defenders can recover from against a receiver of Benjamin’s stature.

This is where length and strength enter the equation.

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

Rhodes holds his ground against the push, while reaching out to get a hand on the hip of Benjamin. Having physical contact with a receiver helps any defensive back close down the space, so arm length is important for Rhodes to create contact and not only disrupt route-runners, but also to maintain a feel on the receiver.

Doing so frees up his eyes to find the ball, like he does perfectly here.

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

Then Rhodes attacks the ball with textbook form, using his play-side hand to deflect the pass and his opposite hand to maintain contact with the receiver.

Importantly, Rhodes is executing his coverage duties without making excessive contact to draw flags, something he struggled with early in the season and as a rookie. Against both Green Bay and Carolina, he toed the line between impactful contact and illegal contact masterfully.

The techniques required of Rhodes to execute assignments in coverage have all come together for him.

In his rookie season and early in 2014, he had too many plays where he failed to string his athleticism to his technique to his mental processing. It all seemed disconnected. He would let deceptive routes take him out of position, not trusting his instincts properly. Other times he would be in position when targeted but struggle with the timing of making a play on the ball or fail to use his size and jump-ball situations.

Now he's a more well-rounded player.

His growth is a credit to the coaching of Zimmer, who seems to get the most out of cornerbacks on a consistent basis. Credit also needs to go to Rhodes, who is fully grasping his assignments and molding himself into the player Minnesota thought he could be when making him a first-round pick.

The fit for Rhodes in Zimmer’s man-coverage-dependent defense is important too. An athletic marvel fell into the lap of the first-year head coach, and full advantage is being taken.

Zimmer gave a glowing review of Rhodes’ development after his showing against Carolina, per Derek Wetmore of 1500 ESPN:

Zimmer had plenty of nice things to say about Xavier Rhodes after today. Called him one of the most improved players on the team. — Derek Wetmore (@DerekWetmore) November 30, 2014

"His confidence level, his technique, the way he competes ... he’s taking a lot of pride in getting up in people and covering them." — Derek Wetmore (@DerekWetmore) November 30, 2014

If this play continues from Rhodes, and it should, his value to the Vikings will be difficult to overstate.

His impact can be enormous even with Zimmer keeping him on the right side of the field almost exclusively. With Rhodes’ man-coverage skills, safeties can frequently be rotated over the opposite side of the field or be moved into the alley to aid the run defense instead of being kept in a shell over the top. The entire defense is given more freedom with a shutdown CB on one side.

Zimmer’s scheme and magic touch with defensive backs is a big reason for Rhodes’ growth. The growth of Rhodes is a big reason why the Minnesota defense has found success in 2014. The dominoes are falling perfectly for the Vikings.