Mixing football IQ and ability, Josh Metellus shines at safety for Vikings

Safety Harrison Smith said he could tell in April. His fellow Vikings safety Josh Metellus displayed a maturity in meetings befitting a 25-year-old former late-round pick who clawed his way through special teams to get a few NFL starts under his belt last season.

Metellus, a 2020 sixth-round pick, had earned the respect of his teammates. His special teams work and professional approach got him a player-voted team captain spot in January, replacing the injured Brian O'Neill for two games.

Now he's getting praise from new defensive coordinator Brian Flores, and plenty of snaps as a part-time role player with the first-team defense. Ask him, and he'll say growth accelerated 10 months ago, when Metellus replaced Smith for his first NFL start and sealed a Vikings win by intercepting Lions quarterback Jared Goff.

"Not playing much my first two years, I didn't really know if I could play defense, you know?" Metellus said. "I always had that confidence, but not getting the reps — you never know. Being able to actually get out there last year and play against top-tier competition, I would say that built my confidence up tremendously."

"I always knew the systems I'd been playing in, so it was never a question of knowing my job," he added. "It was always if I could play with the great ones. I know I can now. It's just a lot of confidence built up, and it's showing on the field."

Smith, the All-Pro veteran of 12 NFL seasons, has helped oversee Metellus' development.

"His confidence has grown over the years as he's made plays at pretty much every spot he's ever been put at," Smith said. "And not just in training camp or practice. It's the same thing on game day, so it's really fun to watch."

Flores, the former Dolphins head coach, was asked about Metellus' intellect when he diverted attention to his talent. Like on Sept. 25 against the Lions, when Metellus read a Goff throw and met now-teammate T.J. Hockenson at the ball to wrap him up one yard shy of the marker on third down.

"I'd like to think I have a pretty good football IQ, but I couldn't play," Flores said. "Josh is talented. He showed that over the course of his career. He showed that in OTAs. … You need [intelligence], but we need guys who can play."

Young players have likened Flores' playbook to graduate studies. Metellus said he's always studied the playbooks rigorously, but now he's translating that information quicker on the field with confidence in what he's doing.

Metellus has shown his studious ways by earning multiple jobs during practices. He's a reserve safety behind Smith and Camryn Bynum. But he comes onto the field in passing situations as a slot defender or dime linebacker (a sixth defensive back replacing a linebacker), which he played during red-zone passing drills on Friday.

"It's easy when you know the game," Metellus said. "It's kind of a 'Where do you want me?' kind of thing, and I'm going to do everything I can to make sure I know it. Some guys like studying math. Some guys like studying science. I like studying football."

Metellus credits Smith for mentorship and picking up studying habits, including what to look for when watching game film. Bynum, a fellow late-round pick, knows the consistent effort it takes to earn a spot without the draft capital.

"He has that dog mindset to where everything he does is 100 percent," Bynum said. "He's really smart, and he knows the game. He can play any position on the back end, whether it's linebacker, safety, nickel — and that's where they have him at now."