Minnesota Vikings present on NFL’s ‘All-Under 25 Team’

Recently, NFL.com put together an All-Under 25 Team on its website, and two of the Minnesota Vikings young star players were present on that roster.

Seeing players from your favorite team getting recognized for their play is a fantastic thing, In a league where the best players in the world are competing for a championship, it is easy to get overlooked sometimes. But when those individuals getting recognized are under 25 years old, it’s even sweeter.

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When the Minnesota Vikings started their youth movement, it appeared as though the team would be going though several seasons of rebuilding. Instead, the team took their struggling seasons and turned them into multiple first round draft picks, made some good trades, and were smart in free agency, which allowed them to turn things around very quickly.

These young players have made great strides in a short period of time. resulting in the Vikings winning the NFC North last season and making a playoff appearance. However, two players from the squad stood apart from the rest and were honored as a part of NFL.com analyst Elliot Harrison’s All-Under 25 Team.

Here are the players included on that squad:

Teddy Bridgewater, quarterback

"“Not bad, kid. Bridgewater led the Vikings to an NFC North title and a playoff berth in only his second year as a starter. Along the way, he posted a respectable 88.7 passer rating. Offensive coordinator Norv Turner and head coach Mike Zimmer wouldn’t mind if Bridgewater took more shots down the field, but that might come in time. Why not Derek Carr here? The Raiders’ signal caller is a year and a half older than Bridgewater, who doesn’t turn 25 until November 2017.”"

Anthony Barr, linebacker

"“Barr was simply outstanding for a second-year pro. Despite fighting injuries and missing two full games, the Vikings’ outside linebacker compiled 68 tackles, 3.5 sacks, one interception and seven passes defensed. The sack total might not wow you, but generally 4-3 OLBs are asked to cover as much as they’re asked to rush the passer. Barr also forced three fumbles last season. Not bad.”"

It’s interesting that “Not bad” was included on both of these Minnesota Vikings because neither of them were bad at all. Both were first round draft picks of the team back in 2014, but they also both made their first Pro Bowl appearances last season.

While some will argue that Bridgewater is too conservative and Barr is often injured, the team’s success shows that their depth and strategy allows them to win games even when their star players are struggling. And that says a lot about the direction the team is headed.

Next: Minnesota Vikings 2016 NFL Draft class

Congratulations to Teddy Bridgewater and Anthony Barr for being the two members of the Minnesota Vikings named to Harrison’s All-Under 25 Team. Hopefully, these two young stars can continue to grow and develop to help the team push for even better things in the franchise’s future.