4 players whose time with the 2020 Vikings won’t be remembered

Yannick Ngakoue – DE

Yannick Ngakoue was once seen as a savior for the Vikings’ pass rush. The team traded for him in late August and many fans were excited to see him pair with Danielle Hunter to form an unstoppable pass-rushing tandem.

This was never in the cards and it turned out that Ngakoue was brought in to replace Hunter since Minnesota realized he’d be lost for the season with a neck injury.

Ngakoue was basically the Vikings’ entire pass rush, accumulating five sacks before being traded in October to the Baltimore Ravens.

Minnesota was 1-5 at that point and they knew they weren’t likely going to make the playoffs or re-sign Ngakoue at season’s end. Rick Spielman should be given some props for that foresight and instead of giving in to pride, he was able to realize his mistake and he got a third-round draft choice back in the process.

While Vikings fans will definitely remember Ngakoue during the draft this year when they don’t have that second-round choice, eventually the memory of him in purple will fade. He was only with the team for six games and while he was a big name, five years down the road his time with Minnesota will be a fleeting memory.