The Minnesota Vikings have had some great pass rushers over the years, but one of the most improbable was Danielle Hunter.
A third-round pick in the famed 2015 draft, Hunter had just 4.5 sacks in three seasons during his collegiate career at LSU but became an integral part of the Vikings' defense until his departure after the 2023 season.
With his 87.5 sacks ranking third officially and sixth in franchise history, Vikings fans knew they were watching a special player during his eight seasons in Minnesota. But what they may now realize is that they were watching a future Hall of Famer thanks to J.J. Watt.
Watt made the observation from Boston Connor of The Pat McAfee Show, who recently posted a photo of Hunter on X and asked, “What am I looking at?”
Watt replied that Connor was looking at “a hall of famer” and that's only going to give Vikings fans mixed emotions as Hunter heads into his age-32 season with the Houston Texans.
Danielle Hunter’s Hall of Fame rise is a painful ‘What if’ for Minnesota Vikings fans
On one hand, seeing what Hunter has become is a punch in the gut to Vikings fans. Hunter’s production was never a question in Minnesota, but his health was becoming a concern.
After suffering “a tweak” in his neck that wound up becoming a herniated disc, Hunter missed the entire 2020 season and played in just seven games before tearing his pectoral muscle in 2021, which raised questions over his future.
At the same time, Hunter was a master in financial gymnastics each offseason after signing a five-year, $72 million contract extension in 2018.
With his production comically outperforming his contract, Hunter kept asking for more money, but the result was a series of band-aids that gave him more guaranteed money and a one-year, $17 million contract for the 2023 season.
By the time the contract was at the end, it was obvious Hunter had no interest in returning. Kirk Cousins’s torn Achilles also created a perfect window to trade Hunter and get something in return. Instead, the Vikings went the other direction, trading for Joshua Dobbs and willing themselves to a 7-10 season.
The following spring, Hunter signed with the Houston Texans in free agency and has been worth every penny of his two-year, $49 million free agent contract and a one-year, $40.1 million extension that was signed this offseason.
With 27.0 sacks in two seasons, Hunter seems to be getting better with age, but there is a silver lining that Vikings fans can take away as he makes his way to Canton.
Danielle Hunter proves the Minnesota Vikings can still find a diamond in the rough
Hunter was not considered a top prospect going into the 2015 draft, but the Vikings still saw potential. After years of coaching and development, Minnesota wound up finding a diamond in the rough, and it shows the power of what a strong draft class can do.
Expecting every third-round edge rusher to become Hunter isn’t a great idea (Sorry, D.J. Wonnum). But it also leaves the door open for that player to exceed expectations.
For example, no third-round pick since Hunter was drafted came close to being a serviceable player for the Vikings, and many more of those picks have been used in lopsided trade-ups.
With the Vikings getting almost nothing in their draft class, they’ve had to resort to overpaying in free agency, and it’s why they tried to flip the script, making modest moves this year and attempting to build their core through the draft.
But even if another Hunter is expected, he’s shown it’s possible. And it’s something that could leave the Vikings with a better look at Hunter’s ascent to football immortality.
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