Vikings Employ Possibly “The Most Underrated Edge-Rusher in the NFL”
Over on Trench Warfare, Brandon Thorn offers some sophisticated analysis of play along the offensive and defensive lines.
His breakdown of the 40 best defensive linemen going into 2023 thus sparked some interest. After losing Dalvin Tomlinson, Minnesota’s DL took a bit of a hit since the Vikings employ a lot of unproven talent up front. Harrison Phillips remains and Khyiris Tonga looks to take on a more prominent role, but there’s plenty of uncertainty along the iDL for Minnesota.
Meanwhile, the edge rushers are once again being led by Danielle Hunter. The long-time Viking agreed to a new deal keeping him in Minnesota for at least another season. Ideally, the partnership between Minnesota and Hunter can continue beyond 2023, but that’s an issue for a different day. He’ll function as Brian Flores’ clear-cut best defender in the upcoming season.
While Minnesota fans don’t need to be convinced about his effectiveness, Hunter’s placement within Thorn’s overall ranking is surprising and well-earned.
The Vikings Employ Danielle Hunter, Arguably the Most Underrated at His Position
Brandon Thorn’s list gets broken down into tiers. Leading the charge are Tier 1 players, those who are deemed elite. That group consists of just five players, all of whom are undoubtedly toward the top of the edge rusher position:
- Myles Garrett
- Micah Parsons
- Nick Bosa
- Maxx Crosby
- T.J. Watt
Hard to quibble too much with that initial ranking, folks. The fivesome contains players who function as week-in, week-out game-wreckers for their team. What’s notable for Vikings fans is that Danielle Hunter gets tossed into the #6 spot at the very top of the “Very Good” tier.
Take a look at what Thorn has to say:
Hunter may be the most underrated edge-rusher in the NFL. This is at least partly due to the depth of the edge position combined with him missing the entire 2020 season with a scary neck injury and suffering a season-ending torn pec seven games into 2021. Before the injuries and an array of young edge-rushing stars minimizing Hunter’s place in the hierarchy at the position, he had the third-most sacks (29) and second-most pressures (154) among all defensive linemen during the 2018 and 2019 seasons
Yes, it’s wild to think how impressive Hunter’s numbers could be had he not had the neck injury in 2020 and pec injury in 2021. Adding onto the craziness is that he made the transition to 3-4 OLB last season, a switch that required the veteran to cultivate a new skill set midway through his career. Not necessarily an easy thing to do but Hunter pulled it off, finishing the year as Minnesota’s leading sack artist with 10.5. In the playoffs, he even added a sack, a pair of QB hits, and a TFL.
Thorn goes on with his analysis:
Fast forward to the present day after his first full season healthy since 2019, and Hunter is coming off of a 70 pressure (seventh most), 10.5 sack year with dominant stretches of film that earned him a one-year, $20M extension for 2023. Placing Hunter on the fringe of tier one atop a loaded tier two group is a warranted distinction.
Hunter combines his unusual length with tremendous power and explosiveness. He’s deceptively fast, closing the distance between him and the QB quicker than a lot of signal callers will realize. When he’s in the lineup, the Vikings defense looks considerably different.
Keeping Mr. Hunter in town for 2023 was a shrewd move from Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. The team gets to retain their high-end defender while still maintaining enough cap room to add another player or two.
Minnesota’s season begins on September 10th when the Bucs get to U.S. Bank Stadium. Hunter will get the chance to continue showing he’s worthy of being considered among the very best of his position. Hunter’s play in the upcoming season will directly feed into his ability to demand a humongous contract next offseason, so expect to see a defender who is ultra motivated.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference helped with this piece.
