Vikings in ESPN's Top 10 Positional Rankings: Justin Jefferson Snubbed
It's always interesting to take stock of how people around the NFL view the Vikings and their players, particularly as we approach a new season. Vikings media and fans obviously know these players quite well, but what is their perception nationally?
Positional ranking lists provide a good sense of that. ESPN recently rolled out its top 10 at every position, and they went inside the league to do it by surveying "more than 50 league executives, coaches, scouts and players."
Here's how our process worked: Voters gave us their best 10 to 15 players at a position, then we compiled the results and ranked candidates based on number of top-10 votes, composite average, interviews, research and film-study help from ESPN NFL analyst Matt Bowen. We had several ties, so we broke them by isolating the two-man matchup with additional voting and follow-up calls. The objective is to identify the best players right now for 2021. This is not a five-year projection or an achievement award. Who's the best today? Pretty simple.
Only four Vikings cracked the top 10 lists across 11 positions. Let's discuss them first, then get into the (arguable) snubs.
Dalvin Cook: No. 3 Running back
Cook is the highest-ranked Viking at any position, trailing only Derrick Henry and Alvin Kamara among running backs. He's up three spots from No. 6 a year ago after a breakout season that saw him stay healthy for 14 games and post career highs in nearly every category.
"I always look for versatility — catch the ball out of the backfield, run outside the tackles and display explosive traits," said an AFC exec who voted Cook at No. 1. "Cook exhibits that better than anyone else." Cook's 91 rushing first downs are second to Henry's 98 despite 66 fewer carries (378 to 312). He has caught at least 40 passes in each of the past three years and is a one-cut dynamo in the red zone, producing 222 yards on 58 carries inside the 20, highest among backs with more than 30 red zone attempts.
PFF listed Cook as its No. 2 RB behind the universally top-ranked Henry, but I don't have a major issue with slotting him behind someone like Kamara. As long as Cook is in the top three (or at the very least, the top five), I'm not going to argue too much.
Harrison Smith: No. 5 Safety
Smith drops a few spots from the No. 2 spot a year ago, which is understandable due to his advanced age and his relative down season in 2020 from trying to carry a talent-deficient defense. Minkah Fitzpatrick, Justin Simmons, Budda Baker, and Jamal Adams are the top four.
Age is the only thing slowing Smith down. One high-ranking AFC evaluator called Smith "the gold standard for the last half-decade" at safety. Reputation and consistency earn Smith high votes, but most agree that his best years might be behind him. Still, his production at age 31 last year was impressive, with five interceptions and 10 pass deflections. He relies on being an "incredibly smart" player at this stage of his career, as an NFC offensive coach said. Smith is a true center fielder in the Vikings' defense while leading the communication for the secondary. "Unbelievable at disguise," the coach said. "He knows where he has to get to on the field — as good as there is at that. The question now is can he still get there?"
While I understand dropping Smith, I would note that there's a case for keeping him near the top now that he'll have much more talented teammates around him this season. For example, PFF has him at No. 2. Like Cook, it's a matter of personal preference, but Smith still being in the top five shows the respect he has across the NFL.
Eric Kendricks: No. 7 Off-ball linebacker
Kendricks also was hurt by the Vikings' overall defensive ineptitude in 2020, along with the fact that he missed the final month of the year. He drops from No. 3 last year all the way down to No. 7.
Kendricks fell from the top five, in part because of the young talents climbing the list. He was still productive with six pass deflections and three interceptions in 11 games, along with an 82.6 rating from Pro Football Focus. The Vikings sorely missed him down the stretch, as he didn't play the final five games. Overall last season, Minnesota allowed 4.3 yards per carry when he was on the field and 5.1 yards per carry when he was on the sideline or out injured. "When I think of an ILB, he's who I think of — diagnose plays, physical tackler, good zone instincts, above-average blitzer. He's one of the best from that second group," a veteran AFC coach said.
This is the first one I legitimately disagree with. Kendricks absolutely deserves to be in the top five, if not higher. He does everything you want from a middle linebacker, particularly in the modern game — Kendricks is a fantastic coverage LB with incredible range. The Vikings' defense fell apart without him in December. Seventh is too low, but this list had Devin White first, so it's all out of whack.
Danielle Hunter: No. 10 Edge rusher
Hunter actually missed this version of the list last year, which feels ridiculous given how phenomenal he was in 2019. The Vikings' toothless pass rush without him elevated him into the top 10 this time around.
Since 2019, the Vikings have 42 sacks on opponents' 527 dropbacks (8%) with Hunter on the field, yet 29 sacks on 679 dropbacks (4.3%) with Hunter off the field. Hunter racked up 56 pressures by himself in 2019, yet the Vikings had 137 total pressures as a team last season, fourth-fewest in the NFL. "He's kind of like Myles Garrett in that he's built like a Marvel character," an AFC scout said. "Special traits and he has length to win and counter moves to go with it."
This is exactly where PFF had Hunter as well. Coming off of the neck injury, I get it. With that said, I fully expect him to get back to his old ways this year and move up the list for 2022.
Snubs
Three Vikings finished in the "also receiving votes" category as honorable mentions: Kirk Cousins, Justin Jefferson, and Adam Thielen.
Jefferson is the one from that group who stands out as a clear snub. I know it's only been one season, but he was legitimately, inarguably a top-five receiver in the league last year as a rookie. Yes, Jefferson will see a lot of defensive attention this season and may regress slightly in the yardage department, but everything he put on tape in 2020 suggests he's here to stay as an elite wideout.
Cousins and Thielen, due to their age and production, don't feel like snubs to me. They're both in that 11-14 range at their positions until further notice, in my opinion.
No Vikings were honorable mentions at offensive tackle, interior offensive line, tight end, interior defensive line, or cornerback.
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