Should it have been more?
You want more lists? Well. . .sorry, but there’s not really a heck of a lot else to talk about at this point, unless the Minnesota Vikings’ front office does something newsworthy between now and the start of Training Camp in a few weeks.
The list that we’re looking at here comes from Pete Prisco of CBS Sports, who has put together his annual list of the Top 100 NFL players for the upcoming season. This year, just three members of the Vikings’ roster made the list. Well, technically it’s four, but we’ll get to that in a minute.
The highest-ranking player, as you’d expect, is wide receiver Justin Jefferson, who checks in at #7 on Prisco’s list.
He led the NFL in catches (128) and yards (1,809), while also leading in receptions of 20 or more yards (28). He is the league’s best receiver heading into next season.
There were four offensive players ahead of Jefferson on the list, and the only non-quarterback among them was Kansas City Chiefs’ tight end Travis Kelce, who Prisco put at #6. That’s some pretty elite company, and Jefferson should only continue climbing this list going forward.
Next, we have to slide down to #56 on the list, where we find offensive tackle Christian Darrisaw.
In his second season, he developed into a good pass protector who is on his way to being one of the best in the league. Getting his body in shape allowed him to take his game to the next level.
Darrisaw is another player that hasn’t even come close to hitting his ceiling yet. He’s already one of the best young offensive tackles in the NFL, and after this season he’s probably going to be more widely recognized as one of the best, period.
The last current Viking that Prisco lists is a guy that used to be much higher up on rankings like this one, and that’s safety Harrison Smith. Prisco has him at #97 on the list for this season.
The Vikings miscast him last season, playing him mostly in the deep middle, but he should be rejuvenated in the new defense under Brian Flores.
Honestly, I’d like to see more of the Harrison Smith that we used to see, with him lining up all over the place and causing issues for opposing offenses. He may have lost a step athletically, but he’s at that age where he’s probably going to get called a “crafty veteran” because of his knowledge and experience. I think the rumors of #22’s demise are greatly exaggerated, quite frankly.
The “technically” from the earlier part of the article comes from the fact that Prisco has running back Dalvin Cook listed at #94. He’s not a Viking anymore, but the Vikings are still listed as his team and they’re the only team he’s ever played for. It doesn’t really count, I guess, but it’s worth pointing out.
Both outside linebacker Danielle Hunter and quarterback Kirk Cousins appear in the “Honorable Mention” portion of Prisco’s list.
Do you agree with where Prisco has these members of the Vikings listed? Should Hunter, Cousins, or someone else have made the list somewhere?