The Minnesota Vikings have a lot of exciting young defenders but which one will become the team’s next defensive star?
Want more proof that the Minnesota Vikings’ defense has arrived? Check out the Pro Football Focus list of the top 101 players in the NFL.
Not only did the Vikings place three defenders in the top 101, they placed two in the top 22: Anthony Barr 20th and Harrison Smith 22nd.
Linval Joseph joined his younger teammates by finishing 48th. The Vikings’ fourth player in the top 101, Joe Berger, placed 40th.
Joseph and Berger are relative veterans who had career years and likely will never again come close to producing at a top-101 level, but Smith and Barr are both young and only improving.
If they can stay healthy, Smith and Barr should remain as centerpieces of the Vikings’ defense for years to come. But for the Vikes to achieve dominance, one or two of Harrison and Anthony’s younger teammates will need to make the same leaps they did and become true stars.
Which Vikings player drafted in the last two years has the best chance of joining Barr and Smith as one of the NFL’s top defenders? Here are the five most likely candidates in my mind.
5. Mackensie Alexander
Mackensie Alexander is already making waves in the Vikings locker room if Captain Munnerlyn’s draft night tweet was any indication. What does Munnerlyn have to worry about? Mack’s only a rookie. Yeah, but he’s a rookie with possibly legit lockdown coverage skills.
Alexander could be coming for Munnerlyn’s nickel corner job in year-one, but is nickel corner the ceiling for Alexander? He’ll never be considered a top defensive player if he’s only guarding the slot. To become a star, he would have to show that he can cover outside receivers too. And it’s possible that he can.
Alexander is not the biggest guy at a shade over 5-10, but if you believe the scouts, he plays bigger than that. Because of his ability to shadow receivers and make plays on the ball, he could eventually grow into a top-line every-down corner. And I wouldn’t worry about his lack of picks in college. They won’t be able to throw away from him on every play in the pros, so look for him to get his hands on some interceptions.
4. Jayron Kearse
Some folks are worried that at 6-4 Jayron Kearse is a bit too tall to effectively play safety in the NFL. As many people have pointed out in recent weeks (especially people affiliated with the Vikings), George Iloka is also 6-4. And what head coach developed Iloka into one of the NFL’s best safeties? That would be Mike Zimmer. I’m not saying Zimmer looked at Kearse and saw the next Iloka, I’m just saying Zimmer knows full-well that being 6-4 need not be an impediment to a man playing safety at a high level.
Kearse’s somewhat lanky and thin build of course is not the only concern about him; he was also ripped by scouts for a certain lack of urgency leading to too many busted coverages. It seems Kearse will need a little push in the back if he’s going to grow as a player. There’s a lot about Kearse’s game that needs to be cleaned up before Zimmer and company can trust him as a starter, but with his athleticism, the potential is there for him to grow into a top-flight safety.
Fans were a bit surprised and possibly a tad dismayed when the Vikings traded promising linebacker Gerald Hodges to the 49ers in the middle of last season, but any doubt they may have had about the wisdom of that deal evaporated when rookie Eric Kendricks stepped in for Hodges and started tearing things up. Kendricks finished the season with 72 tackles, becoming the first Vikings rookie to lead the team in that category since 1961. He also finished with four sacks.
It’s tempting to refer to Kendricks as a tackling machine after the year he had but frankly the tackles he missed were as much of a story as the ones he made. Kendricks can run around all day but must become more consistent in getting the man down once he catches him. Though Kendricks certainly has the speed to run with tight ends and backs, he must also become better in coverage. Yes, Kendricks has things to work on, but he is only entering his second season. Whether Kendricks ends up staying at the Mike or moving to the Will (where he might actually be more effective), the young man has the makings of a tremendous player.
2. Trae Waynes
Why are so many Viking fans already writing off Trae Waynes? Because Waynes didn’t start as a rookie, many fans apparently believe he is already a bust. Yes Waynes was drafted 11th overall but you have to look past that fact. Waynes may have been taken relatively high, but the understanding all along was that he would need time to develop. Mike Zimmer didn’t take Waynes with the idea that he could drop him right into the lineup. Why do you think the Vikings signed Terence Newman last year?
Clearly, Waynes has traits coveted by Mike Zimmer or he would not have given Rick Spielman the go-ahead to draft him. Is it possible Zimmer made a mistake? Of course it is. But doesn’t Zimmer deserve a little benefit of the doubt? Shouldn’t we put a little more faith in Zimmer when it comes to identifying and developing talent? Do we really trust Zim or do we just like repeating the hashtag?
So what if Waynes did nothing in year one. The fact remains that Waynes has the perfect build for a corner, can run like the wind and showed plenty of man-coverage ability in college. The skill-set that made Waynes attractive in the first round didn’t just evaporate because he had to basically sit out a season. This guy has more than enough talent to become a star cornerback in the league. Give him a minute before you write him off.
A lot of teams are already kicking themselves for not drafting Danielle Hunter. Tabbed as a developmental prospect before the draft last year, Hunter showed in his rookie season that he’s already pretty advanced as a football player. Hunter didn’t just get in here-and-there as most expected, he was a major contributor on the defensive line, finishing with 33 tackles and six sacks.
What will Hunter do in year two under Mike Zimmer? Zim wants Hunter to get better against the run, which means becoming more comfortable lining up with his hand in the dirt. If Hunter masters playing defensive end out of the three-point stance, he could take a huge step toward becoming not just a really good situational pass rusher but a genuine force as an every-down player.
Look at Hunter’s build and skill-set and it’s easy to see him as the second-coming of Michael Johnson. What made Johnson so good in Mike Zimmer’s scheme was that he could do everything well: rush the passer, play the run and drop in coverage. If Hunter can tick those second two boxes, he could be as good as Johnson was under Zimmer or perhaps even better.
If there’s a single young defensive player on the Vikings who has “future star” written all over him, I believe it’s Hunter. Before it’s over, Hunter may make Everson Griffen expendable.