PFF Got the Top-3 Vikings Wrong
The Minnesota Vikings added some potential difference-makers this offseason. Offensive guard Will Fries has gotten some buzz as he could be the team’s best guard in years. On the defensive line, former Pro Bowler Jonathan Allen could be the playmaker upfront that Skol Nation had desired for years.
PFF Got the Top-3 Vikings Wrong
We have reached the part of the offseason in which you can find lists and rankings from each and every outlet. Pro Football Focus recently named the three best players of each NFL franchise.
Who PFF Picked
Trevor Sikkema did, to be exact. For the Vikings, he picked three franchise cornerstones.
- Justin Jefferson
- Christian Darrisaw
- Brian O’Neill
The analyst wrote: “Jefferson ranks second among all wide receivers in cumulative WAR over the last three seasons, behind only Amon-Ra St. Brown. His 88.0 grade in 2024 narrowly missed a fifth straight season above 90.0. Darrisaw played only 392 snaps last year but continues to rank among the league’s best when healthy. O’Neill earned a 0.43 WAR, the third-highest mark on the team in 2024.”
The name on top is pretty much undeniable. Justin Jefferson is arguably the league’s top wideout and one of the brightest stars the NFL has to offer. He’s collecting an automatic 1,500 receiving yards if he’s available for all 17 games and is coming off another strong campaign.
Christian Darrisaw is second on most lists by analysts and fans alike. Sure, he missed the second half of the 2024 season with a torn ACL and is still not cleared for practice, but when he has played in his career, he has been phenomenal.
Then we reach the controversial third player. Brian O’Neill has been a wonderful player since he was drafted in 2018. A two-time Pro Bowler, O’Neill was the lone bright spot on a shaky offensive line for years and is potentially coming off his best season. Still, among the three named players, he’s clearly third, which is no shame.
The Snub
And the guy O’Neill should be replaced by is pass rusher Jonathan Greenard. He signed in free agency last year to take Danielle Hunter’s spot as the team’s primary threat to the opposing quarterback, and he immediately stepped into his footsteps.
Many thought the rush would be lost without Hunter in the mix, but Greenard was one of the most productive edge defenders in the NFL. In the regular season, Greenard ranked third in QB pressures with 80 and first in QB hurries with 59. He finished the year with 12 sacks and 59 tackles and earned a trip to his first Pro Bowl.
In addition to his pass-rushing prowess, he was also a valuable run-stopper, helping the Vikings to have one of the league’s best units against the run.
The four-year contract worth $76 million was a risky move for a player who had just played one season at a high level, but Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has surely won that bet.
Greenard formed an outstanding duo with Andrew Van Ginkel. They both met at the Pro Bowl, but only Van Ginkel was named second-team All-Pro. His counterpart was snubbed. Gink is another strong candidate for the third spot on the list, but Greenard got the edge because the defense is built around him getting after the quarterback.
Kevin O’Connell on Greenard
Head coach Kevin O’Connell praised Greenard shortly after announcing he had won the NFC Defensive Player of the Month for November. “As I like to call him, he’s The Closer,” O’Connell said in December. “How many times this year has he affected the quarterback, drawn a penalty, sacked the quarterback, strip-sacked last week in these critical moments where you need your best players to go make those plays, and he’s done it time and time again.
Greenard will turn 28 this weekend. He’ll once again be a focal point in Brian Flores’ defensive squad.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.
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