Vikings defense ranked higher than Bengals, Eagles, and Seahawks after NFL Draft

Many conversations surrounding the Minnesota Vikings heading into the 2024 NFL season are based on offense. The future of quarterback J.J. McCarthy, the arrival of Aaron Jones, the health of T.J. Hockenson, and the contract situation of Justin Jefferson are all major points of discussion.

Meanwhile, the defense will look significantly different this year and the only real headline surrounding that unit has been losing edge rusher Danielle Hunter in free agency to the Houston Texans.

That doesn't mean the Vikings' defense should be ignored, but that defensive coordinator Brian Flores will have to find other ways to frustrate opposing offenses and get Minnesota's offense back on the field.

Vikings defense ranked higher than Bengals, Eagles, and Seahawks after NFL Draft

This begs the question of how the Minnesota Vikings stack up to other NFL franchises when playing defense. The NFL Scouting Department at Bleacher Report recently shared an article ranking the teams based on their defenses following the 2024 NFL Draft.

Interestingly enough, Minnesota is ranked No. 18 on their list, making them a middle-of-the-road defense in their eyes heading into the upcoming season. It also places them ahead of teams like the Cincinatti Bengals, Philadelphia Eagles, and Seattle Seahawks.

Bleacher Report stated that Brian Flores is going to find ways to create pressure in a Vikings' defense that isn't perfect. They talked about the mixed results from last year but also discussed the addition of Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, and Dallas Turner.

They also state that the defense could improve on their current rank by getting more production out of their pressure. Blitzing but not generating pressure can make defending the entire field extremely difficult.

A discussion on replacing Danielle Hunter is also made by Bleacher Report. Minnesota added several pass rushers but could still struggle to replace one individual who had the fifth-largest sack total last season (16.5).

It will be interesting to see how Brian Flores handles his second season as the defensive coordinator of the Minnesota Vikings. His aggressive scheme and use of misdirection could assist a team that is transitioning to a younger unit on defense.

The upcoming season is full of tough opponents with dangerous offenses. Minnesota's defense will need to step up to help an offense that is also undergoing a major transformation under head coach Kevin O'Connell if they hope to be competitive in the division and conference this year.