Only Two Vikings Make PFN’s Top 100 Players List
The NFL offseason has always been a time for people to reflect on the past year as well as look forward to the next season. As the offseason has progressed, a number of media outlets have been releasing lists of the top players in the NFL.
Earlier in the week, Pro Football Network released their own list of who they believe to be the top 100 players in the NFL heading into the 2023 season. Vikings fans may be disappointed to see that only two Vikings made the list. None of Kirk Cousins, Danielle Hunter, Harrison Smith, or T.J. Hockenson were featured.
However, one Viking that did make the list is left tackle Christian Darrisaw, who placed 87th on the list, just ahead of Von Miller (No. 88) and behind former Viking Za’Darius Smith (No. 86). Last summer, the left tackle drew many comparisons to the great Trent Williams, particularly in the aftermath of the joint practice with the San Francisco 49ers.
Darrisaw fully lived up to the hype in the regular season too, doing a great job of not only protecting Kirk Cousins in the passing game, but opening up running lanes for Dalvin Cook and Alexander Mattison. He finished the season as the third-highest graded offensive lineman by Pro Football Focus’ metrics.
The other Vikings player to make the list should come as zero surprise to any fan. That player is star wide receiver Justin Jefferson, who was ranked among the top 10 players in the league, placing No. 8 overall. He was sandwiched between Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill (No. 9) and Eagles OT Lane Johnson (No. 7).
Jefferson had another terrific season in 2022, leading the league in both receptions (128) and receiving yards (1809). He was one of the main topics of the offseason as he is due for a massive extension that could keep him in Minnesota for years to come. The terms of such a deal remain unagreed upon, but it doesn’t seem to matter as the receiver has stated that he will show up to training camp just as he did for mandatory minicamp.
The Vikings are looking to build off a very strong season in 2022 during which they finished 13-4 and won the NFC North. In order to repeat such a performance and even improve upon it, both Darrisaw and Jefferson will be heavily relied upon as contributors.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.
