Minnesota Vikings: The youth and athleticism of Danielle Hunter

The Minnesota Vikings could have a potential franchise defensive end in the freakishly athletic and extremely youthful second year player Danielle Hunter.

By now, fans of the Minnesota Vikings know all about Danielle Hunter. However, it wasn’t that long ago that using a third round draft pick on the athletic, yet extremely raw pass rusher seemed like a massive reach to many analysts.

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Despite his lack of polish, head coach Mike Zimmer saw a lot of potential in Hunter. With being the youngest player in the NFL last season, there would be a lot of time to develop his pass rush moves and mold him into the player the Vikings needed for the future.

It didn’t take long for Hunter to make a quick impression on the Vikings, the fans, and opposing teams. During his rookie season, he totalled the second most sacks of any first year player and will likely improve upon his 6 sacks during the 2016 NFL season.

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According to Vikings.com, the most sacks for any player before their age-22 season belongs to Baltimore Ravens linebacker and Minneapolis, Minnesota native Terrell Suggs, who notched 12 in his first two seasons. With Hunter already halfway there, there is a good chance he could surpass a dozen sacks in his first two years with the Minnesota Vikings.

Of course, there is the issue of playing time. Minnesota already has two established starters at defensive end in Everson Griffen and Brian Robison, but that doesn’t mean there is no place for Danielle Hunter. Aside from injuries, illness and other issues that can keep a player off the field, Mike Zimmer relies on a rotation of pass rushers and has formations where defensive ends will rush from the defensive tackle position.

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There are many opportunities available to Danielle Hunter in the future with the Minnesota Vikings, but for now he will have to remain patient. The defensive end will need to take the playing time when he can get it and make the most of his opportunities in order to continue to prove his value to a young and athletic team on the rise.