Minnesota Vikings 2010s All-Decade Team: Who made the cut?

Secondary

Xavier Rhodes (CB), Trae Waynes (CB), Harrison Smith (S), Andrew Sendejo (S)

As the pride and joy of Mike Zimmer’s defense, the secondary had plenty of lumps, but always found a way to come through when the Vikings needed it the most. Although the play has fallen off in 2019, the secondary that Zimmer has put together has played a key role in improving the Vikings’ defense.

One of the biggest reasons for this was the emergence of Xavier Rhodes. As a first-round draft pick in 2013, Rhodes took a while to get going in Frazier’s Tampa 2 scheme but took off under the tutelage of Zimmer. Rhodes earned All-Pro honors in 2017 in addition to being selected to the Pro Bowl in 2016 and 2017. With 10 interceptions to his name, Rhodes became one of the best corners in the league, which has made his decline in 2019 so disappointing.

On the opposite end, Zimmer’s other pet project made his way on here in part because there wasn’t much else to draw from. That being said, Waynes has become a solid NFL corner since being selected in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft and has racked up seven interceptions in his five seasons with the team.

At safety, any list would be remiss if they didn’t mention Harrison Smith. Smith was the Vikings second first-round draft pick in 2012 and unlike Matt Kalil, Smith lived up to the billing of being a fixture on the Minnesota roster. With an ability to hit anyone like a missile, Smith has been selected to the last five Pro Bowls and was an All-Pro in 2017.

Across from Smith was Andrew Sendejo, who was polarizing to some fans, but kept finding his way into the lineup. While Smith was the enforcer, Sendejo was solid in coverage, picking up eight interceptions during his nine years with the Vikings.