Dalvin Cook, Justin Jefferson Named to 2021 Pro Bowl

The Vikings only had two players selected, with Harrison Smith and Eric Kendricks being notable snubs.

Vikings offensive stars Dalvin Cook and Justin Jefferson have officially been selected by players, fans, and coaches to the 2021 Pro Bowl. The NFL announced all of the selections to the game on Monday evening. 

This season's Pro Bowl won't actually be happening due to COVID-19 concerns, but the NFL is turning it into a virtual event using the video game Madden NFL 21. More importantly, this is a prestigious honor for the Vikings' two brightest stars. 

This is the second straight Pro Bowl selection for Cook, who had a breakout season in 2019 and has gone to another level this year. He led all NFC running backs in the fan voting portion of the selection process. With two games to go, Cook leads the NFL in scrimmage yards (1,833) and is second in rushing yards (1,484) and total touchdowns (16).

Cook was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Month after a ridiculous five-game stretch in November and has proven himself to be one of the best running backs in the NFL. He has continued to produce big numbers all year long while handling a heavy week-to-week workload.

Jefferson being named to the Pro Bowl as a rookie is a pretty special accomplishment. He and Washington DE Chase Young are the only rookies who made it. The LSU product didn't even start the season's first two games, but broke out with a 175-yard performance in Week 3 and hasn't looked back. Jefferson ranks eighth in the NFL in receiving yards (1,182) and ranks second among all wide receivers in PFF grade and third in yards per route run. He is tied for the league lead with 21 receptions of 20-plus yards. 

Jefferson is the first rookie receiver since Amari Cooper in 2015 to be selected to the Pro Bowl as a receiver (others have made it as a return specialist). Since 1998, only Randy Moss, Anquan Boldin, A.J. Green, Odell Beckham Jr., Cooper, and now Jefferson have made the Pro Bowl as a receiver in their rookie year. Moss, Cooper, and Jefferson are the only ones to do it in their age-21 season. Jefferson joins Moss and Sammy White (1976) as Vikings rookie WRs to make the Pro Bowl.

On Sunday against the Bears, Jefferson broke Moss's record for catches in a season by a Vikings rookie (73 and counting). He's 196 yards away from breaking Boldin's post-merger record for rookie receiving yards, and has two games left to try to set that record. Jefferson is having an incredible season, and this is a well-deserved honor.

Two snubs stand out for the Vikings, both on the defensive side of the ball: linebacker Eric Kendricks and safety Harrison Smith. Both veterans are among the most talented and consistently productive players at their position in the NFL. Smith leads the Vikings with four interceptions, while Kendricks has three.

By not being selected, Smith's streak of Pro Bowls ends at five. Kendricks made it last season as an injury replacement but was also a First Team All-Pro. Other potential Vikings snubs include Adam Thielen (who made it in 2017 and 2018) and C.J. Ham.

With no actual Pro Bowl game happening this year, there will be no injury replacements. That means the Vikings will go without a defensive player in the Pro Bowl for the first time since 2014.

Here's more on the unique virtual Pro Bowl from the NFL's release:

The digital program will feature a week-long series of matchups featuring celebrities, NFL Legends, current players and streamers playing as the official Pro Bowl rosters in Madden NFL 21 and will air on ESPN and ABC. These matchups will culminate in an action-packed virtual Pro Bowl game played with 2021 Pro Bowl players facing off within Madden NFL 21. Games will be available for fans to watch across a variety of platforms. Additionally, for players of Madden NFL 21, EA SPORTS will be dropping new Pro Bowl content in game so that players worldwide can play out the AFC vs. NFC matchup themselves.

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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.