The Minnesota Vikings aren’t stacked with top-end talent, and Pro Football Network’s Top 100 players list demonstrates exactly how much further the rest of the Vikings’ roster needs to improve before it can consistently compete across the NFL.
Minnesota Vikings Have 2 of the Best Players in the NFL
The top player on the Vikings’ roster is Justin Jefferson, who also happens to be the best receiver in the NFL. Jefferson’s combination of remarkable body control, incredible ball tracking, and spatial awareness allows him to win remarkable contested catches, find open space, and deceive opposing defensive backs. Jefferson doesn’t have a single weakness.
PFN isn’t alone in ranking Jefferson this high; Pro Football Focus ranked Justin Jefferson eighth overall, while CBS Sports ranked him seventh.
The only other player ranked by PFN is Christian Darrisaw, Minnesota’s third-year left tackle. Darrisaw has a wide range of rankings across the NFL, but it could very well be the case that he solidifies his image among NFL observers this next year.
Darrisaw ranked second among all tackles in PFF grades and ranked sixth in the NFL in ESPN run-block win rate. His athleticism in space has been a big asset, but his best trait, finishing, was once regarded as a weakness coming out of college. In part, that had to do with injuries he played through at Virginia Tech, but it remained a big question mark for the offensive lineman that has been resolved in a huge way in his favor.
Vikings Had 2 Snubs
There are two players on the Vikings that were excluded from the Top 100 list that have a great case to make it. The first is Danielle Hunter, who finished last year sixth in the NFL among edge rushers in total pressures. He also placed sixth in the NFL among all positions in sacks per game since becoming a starter in 2017, ahead of Joey Bosa, Von Miller, Brian Burns, Matthew Judon, and Maxx Crosby — all of whom made the list.
The other is Brian O’Neill, who finished last year as the third-best offensive tackle in pass-block win rate and started off his career with a 29-game streak without allowing a sack. O’Neill’s consistently been one of the best pass protectors in the NFL, and he’s more than capable as a run blocker.
That should put him ahead of a player like Penei Sewell, who made the list, or players at other positions with less of an impact on the game, like Charvarius Ward, Jamel Dean, and even DeAndre Hopkins.
It should be noted that Kirk Cousins also missed the list, though it’s difficult to argue that he should have made it above any of the seven quarterbacks featured in the piece. Arguing for more quarterbacks than that would dilute the meaning of the list, as it’s meant to be position-neutral.
Nevertheless, this kind of list puts the Vikings’ roster into perspective — there’s a long way to go before they can consider themselves truly competitive.