Which Minnesota Vikings have put the most pressure on opposing quarterbacks in the past two seasons?
Before we go over which current and former Minnesota Vikings players have generated the most pressure since 2018, there are a few disclaimers we must discuss before diving into this list.
First, this is based on pressures per snaps played since the 2018 season. Second, this is not a power ranking of best defensive players to play for the Vikings during the last two years.
A sack, a hurry, or a quarterback knockdown all count as a defensive pressure. The number of defensive snaps each player has taken in the last two years is this then used as the denominator in this calculation. Alas, a percentage of pressures per snap is created.
To disallow stretches of play that some might interpret as a fluke, a 350-defensive snap minimum parameter was assessed in the metric. Also, players who left Minnesota prior to the 2019 season were not included. This is mentionable because Sheldon Richardson and Tom Johnson would have snuck into the top five, if so.
Some honorable mentions who did not make the top five include Jaleel Johnson (1.19 percent), Anthony Barr (1.09 percent), Linval Joseph (0.98 percent), and Eric Kendricks (0.71 percent).
What’s more, had the minimum snap count been smaller, Armon Watts (1.65 percent) and Jalyn Holmes (1.52 percent) would round out the top 10.
So let’s not waste any more time and get to which five players actually did end generating the most pressures per snap for the Vikings since 2018.
5. Eric Wilson – LB
Snaps with pressure since 2018 = 1.26 percent
This is not the same Eric Wilson who was the bassist for Sublime, but this Eric Wilson is an undrafted linebacker who has played in every single Vikings game since 2017.
Out of the University of Cincinnati, Wilson has made a noteworthy impact in the middle of Minnesota’s defense. He has filled in as a starter to compensate for injuries to fellow linebacker Ben Gedeon. In the last two seasons, Wilson has started nearly one-third of all Vikings games.
He’s also notched five sacks, 72 combined tackles, 10 tackles for loss, and 10 quarterback hits. In 2019, his Pro Football Focus grade was 67.6. The year prior it was 62.7, so there was some modest improvement.
As for pressures per snap, Wilson has recorded nine during the last two years while being on the field for 715 defensive snaps. Oddly, this percentage tops fellow Minnesota linebackers, Anthony Barr and Eric Kendricks.
4. Stephen Weatherly – DE
Snaps with pressure since 2018 = 3.18 percent
Stephen Weatherly no longer plays for the Vikings. He inked a two-year, $12.5 million deal the Carolina Panthers back in March. His presence on his list can be considered somewhat bittersweet.
Minnesota general manager Rick Spielman nabbed Weatherly in the seventh round of the 2016 NFL Draft. From 2016 to 2017, Weatherly saw very limited playing time defensively with Brian Robison, Everson Griffen, and Danielle Hunter occupying the defensive end room.
He did, however, contribute to special teams in his first two seasons. Most recently, his PFF grade in 2019 was 50.2.
From 2018 until his departure, Weatherly played in about 45 percent of all defensive snaps. All told, he was on the field for 943 of the Vikings’ defensive snaps since 2018. He was able to register 30 pressures, and per comparative percentage (3.18 percent), that is good for No. 4 on this list.
He should get the opportunity to start in Carolina during the upcoming season, or at the very least, keep the spot warm for rookie Yetur Gross-Matos.
3. Everson Griffen – DE
Snaps with pressure since 2018 = 3.78 percent
In March, Everson Griffen took to social media to thank the Vikings organization and fans alike for a memorable 10-year run with the team. He currently remains unsigned as a free agent, but he has still expressed the desire to continue playing in the NFL.
Griffen’s journey to becoming a starting defensive end for Minnesota is akin to Adam Thielen’s in the sense he clambered his way up the depth chart over the course of a few years. Initially, Griffen could not supplant Jared Allen for the starting spot. But who on earth could really do that?
Since 2012, Griffen has accounted for 74.5 sacks, which ranks 10th in the NFL during the timeframe. Since 2018, he was able to generate 54 pressures while being on the field for 1,432 of the Vikings’ defensive snaps.
It is not implausible to speculate he might still return to Minnesota for the 2020 season. But his farewell address would need to basically be forgotten about to do so.
2. Danielle Hunter – DE
Snaps with pressure since 2018 = 4.21 percent
This is where the controversy starts. But to reiterate, this top five compilation is emphatically not a power ranking of Vikings personnel.
Statistically-speaking, Danielle Hunter has the second-highest percentage of pressures per snap for Minnesota in the last two seasons. The statistic is not an interpretive one.
A fan’s eye-test will tell you Hunter is, indeed, the best pass-rusher on the Vikings roster. In sheer volume and reputation, this is true. But when broken down by a mathematical percentage, Hunter places second in the metric, if only temporarily. The new season is afoot.
Hunter leads all Minnesota defensive linemen in defensive snaps played since 2018. In this time period, he has racked up a total of 74 pressures. For perspective, that is more than Everson Griffen and Anthony Barr have combined to generate since 2018.
Around the league, Hunter has the third-most sacks since 2018, behind only Aaron Donald and Chandler Jones.
1. Ifeadi Odenigbo – DE
Snaps with pressure since 2018 = 4.89 percent
If you’re reading this, that means you have not thrown your phone onto the floor in disgust. You should be commended for that.
Admittedly, Ifeadi Odenigbo has a smaller sample-size than Danielle Hunter and Everson Griffen. But to have excluded him from the list solely because it wrecked a narrative would be ruthless, irresponsible, and biased.
When Odenigbo got his chance in 2019, he made the most of it. It is undeniable. It’s why he tops this list. His raw numbers suggest he seized the moment, so to speak. So much so that he topped all Vikings players in pressures per snap since 2018. Odenigbo tallied 18 pressures in just defensive 368 snaps.
Odenigbo will likely have the opportunity to be one of the starting defensive ends for Minnesota in 2020. If past performance is indicative of future production, he will have ample time to prove that 2019 was not abnormal for him.