Where the Vikings DEs now rank in the NFL
Zeke Warren-Weigmann
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Before trading for Yannick Ngakoue, the Vikings’ pass rush was scary. After their deal with Jacksonville that sent the four-year vet up to Minnesota, the Vikings have a unit that will be toppling quarterbacks at a freakish rate.
CBS Sports recognized as much in their most recent ranking of pass rushing duos released on August 30th, placing the new dynamic team of Danielle Hunter and Yannick Ngakoue at second overall. Behind only San Francisco’s Nick Bosa and Arik Armstead, the Vikings’ pass rushers beat out the likes of the third ranked Chicago Bears Khalil Mack and Robert Quinn, and the fourth ranked LA Chargers Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram. CBS got this exactly right.
While Hunter and Ngakoue may not be household names, their numbers speak for themselves. Over his five year career, Hunter has tallied 54.5 sacks, 29 of which came during his pro-bowl 2018 and 2019 seasons. Over Ngakoue’s four year career, he has racked up 37.5 sacks, and has earned one pro-bowl selection for his 12 sack 2017 season.
These numbers are damn impressive. While they are certainly not good enough to beat out the Bosa/Armstead duo, who put up a collective 19 sacks last season, leading the 49ers to 48 sacks overall and a super-bowl berth, Hunter and Ngakoue are certainly good enough to outrank the duos led by Mack and the other Bosa brother.
Don’t be surprised if you see the Vikings at the top of this list next year, especially if Ngakoue can have a monster 2020. He undoubtedly has the talent, with his down season last year (during which he still put up a respectable 8 sacks) being most likely the fault of a piss poor offense, and a front office intent on trading away every single defensive piece of value around him. Hopefully under a system that actually wants to utilize his talent to win, Ngakoue can flourish.