Vikings first-round cornerback Jeff Gladney no stranger to tough talk

The past three years at TCU, Jeff Gladney lined up across from fellow first-round pick Jalen Reagor, dueling through one-on-one battles in triple-digit heat under the watchful eye of coach Gary Patterson, who was so bold on Friday to say Vikings coach Mike Zimmer “will be a mild cat compared to here.”

“Him and I are about the same. I think he’s the same way I am,” Patterson said of Zimmer. “And Jeff’s going to be able to handle that.

“He’s from East Texas. He’s country tough. He can handle those types of things. I told Jeff, ‘The bottom line is I think one of the reasons you might have a chance is because you’re a guy that can handle tough coaching and you’ve been through all that and you…