Best and worst Minnesota Vikings third-round picks of last decade

Danielle Hunter – DE (2015)

Danielle Hunter is easily the Vikings’ best third-round draft pick of the last decade. When they took him back in 2015, Minnesota definitely liked his upside. But no way did they think he’d develop into the all-around defensive end he’s become and one of the best at his position in the entire NFL.

Hunter has been a sack monster so far in his career. He’s racked up a jaw-dropping 54.5 sacks in five seasons. The thing that makes Hunter so good is that he’s so much more than just a pass rusher, he is very good against the run too.

Hunter uses his long, muscular arms to ward off his blocker and work his way to the ball carrier. He then swallows him up, usually resulting in a loss of yardage for the opposing player.

The best part about Hunter is that he’s still only 25-years-old. He is already so good and he is just beginning to hit the age where most pass rushers reach their prime.

It’s hard to imagine him getting any better, but seeing him approach the 20 sack mark in a season isn’t out of the realm of possibility for him in the near future.

Hunter was a huge steal in the third round of the 2015 NFL Draft. If teams knew the type of player he’d become, he would’ve easily been one of the first choices in the draft instead of falling to the third round.