Vikings safety Harrison Smith continues to be underrated

The Minnesota Vikings safety continues to be underrated and under-appreciated by his peers as he ranked 46th on this year’s NFL Top 100 list.

Last week, it was Minnesota Vikings cornerback Xavier Rhodes getting disrespected by the 2018 NFL Top 100 list after he was ranked as the league’s 55th-best player despite being a First-Team All-Pro selection in 2017.

This week, it was Vikings safety Harrison Smith’s turn to show up way too early on the list. 10 more players from this year’s NFL Top 100 list were revealed on Monday and Smith came in slotted at 46th.

As was the case with Rhodes last week, how is it even possible for the Minnesota safety to rank lower than 22nd after earning a First-Team All-Pro selection in 2017?

Minnesota Vikings

Not only was Smith arguably the best safety in the NFL last season, but an argument could be made that he was the league’s best defensive player in 2017 as well. Yet, this year’s list still has Seattle Seahawks safety Earl Thomas ranked higher than Smith.

Last season, the Vikings safety lead the team with five interceptions and 12 pass deflections. He also finished second on Minnesota’s defense with 78 total tackles in 2017.

Smith was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week after the Vikings’ Week 16 win over the Green Bay Packers last season in which he ended the matchup with eight total tackles and two interceptions.

His performance in 2017 also resulted in his third-straight invite to the Pro Bowl and the Stephenson Award from Pro Football Focus, which goes to the player who the site grades the highest each season.

Next: Who will be the Vikings' most improved player in 2018?

Despite all of Smith’s accomplishments in 2017, his peers apparently still didn’t feel he was worthy of being ranked inside the top 40 on this year’s NFL Top 100 list. What else does Smith have to do in order to earn his proper praise?