Smallest Viking Duke Shelley keeps making big plays

Short people rock. Comedian Kevin Hart is 5-foot-4. Our beloved Prince was 5-2, sans the platform shoes. St. Paul superhero Suni Lee is 5-foot-nothing. They are among the little stars who have done big things.

Cornerback Duke Shelley is the Vikings' shortest player at 5-8 — not an ideal height in a league full of big receivers. He is also the lightest player on the roster, at 183 pounds. But those are just numbers. Shelley is a small guy making huge plays, a featherweight who's becoming a heavy hitter for the Vikings secondary.

How did they get this guy? He was cut a few months ago by the Bears, Sunday's opponent.

Shelley returns to Soldier Field on Sunday a wanted man, by the Purple. His overall defensive rating of 76.8, per Pro Football Focus, is 14th among cornerbacks. Patrick Peterson is ranked seventh, as the Vikings are the only team with two corners ranked in the top 14.

Shelley had a 83.9 PFF rating in the historic comeback win against the Colts and has stepped up when teammates Cameron Dantzler and Akayleb Evans have been ineffective or injured. Dantzler was activated off injured reserve a month ago, while Evans, because of concussions, remains on IR. But Shelley has taken advantage of the opportunity to get his career back on track.

He had a big pass breakup in the end zone in overtime during the Vikings' thrilling victory over the Bills on Nov. 13, and then broke up another end zone pass Thanksgiving night in a victory over the Patriots. Even during the Vikings' 41-17 beatdown by the Packers on Sunday, Shelley broke up a pass and didn't have a completion against him.

His career was at stake. If you can't play for a Bears team that is one of the worst in football, who can you play for? But Shelley, a fourth-year player out of Kansas State, has forced his way up the Vikings depth chart.

It's not clear who will play on Sunday for the Vikings, or how much the starters play, in a game with little at stake. It might resemble a preseason game by the fourth quarter as the Vikings likely will pull starters to make sure they are available for the playoffs. But you can bet that Shelley will get some snaps against the team that released him during its final round of cuts.

Six days later, the Vikings signed Shelley to their practice squad. They elevated him to the active roster twice before signing him to the active roster for good on Nov. 12.

He gets to show the Bears what they are missing on Sunday as the Vikings seek to end the regular season strong and propel themselves into the postseason.

Shelley has stabilized the cornerback spot opposite of the savvy veteran Peterson, playing at least 60 snaps in each of the last three weeks. The Vikings defense remains suspect as it enters Sunday ranked 31st in yards allowed. The lack of a consistent pass rush is a big reason, as opposing quarterbacks get time to go through their progressions before gashing the Vikings secondary. Shelley hasn't been perfect, as opponents have connected on 19 passes on 36 targets in his direction, but their passer rating on throws in his area is just 72.6.

YaQuis Bertron "Duke" Shelley Jr. has made himself a keeper with a relentless and fearless style that allows him to stick to receivers and defend passes. The talk about him coming out of college was that his slight build would make him nothing more than a slot corner. He's proven to be more than that, as he wins battles against wideouts with height and catch radius advantages.

Shelley finds ways to keep the ball out of their hands with technique and tenacity. He will get beat at times, but not because of backing down from a challenge. Teammate Jordan Hicks has said that Shelley plays "bigger than he is tall."

Dantzler's career is at a crossroads. Evans made some splash plays before concussions derailed his season. Shelley, a 6-1 player in a 5-8 frame, stepped into the breach and now looks like someone the Vikings can count on.