Don’t Forget About This Stat Regarding the Minnesota Vikings Defense
Josh Frey
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The 2022 NFL season is fast approaching as the NFL Draft is a mere five weeks away. To this point, the Minnesota Vikings have had a relatively quiet offseason in terms of actual roster construction. The biggest dips into the free agency pool have come for the Vikings defense with LB Jordan Hicks and DT Harrison Phillips. These are valuable pickups, but there is some confusion among Vikings fandom as many expected some attention to be paid to the interior offensive line.
However, equally important in some circles has been acquiring some young talent at EDGE, especially in the draft. That became even more apparent when it seemed as if the Vikings were actively shopping Danielle Hunter. That ship seems to have sailed, but the sentiment remains; many fans would be happy with some young pass-rush talent.
It’s not a bad idea by any means. A continuing cycle of talented prospects is key to success in the NFL. That said, we can’t pretend that the Vikings defense does not have a ton of talent in this current group. Especially with Hunter’s alleged return, Minnesota quietly has one of the better pass-rush units in the entire league.
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It seems that since the conclusion of the season, many have forgotten that the Vikings defense ranked second in the NFL in sacks, only behind a historic Pittsburgh Steelers unit. Minnesota recorded 51 sacks during 2021 while Pittsburgh had 55–paced by T.J. Watt’s NFL record-tying 22.5. The Vikings success is even more impressive when you consider that Hunter played just seven games. With an extra 10 games of the two-time Pro Bowler, it seems very plausible that the Vikings could have comfortably led the NFL in this category.
This surge towards the top was powered by some unexpected heroes–namely DJ Wonnum and Armon Watts. Wonnum led the team with 8.0 sacks and the 2019 sixth-round pick Watts recorded 5.0 as an efficient pass rusher on the interior of the Vikings defense. Assuming Minnesota holds onto Danielle Hunter, the Vikings will also return five of their top seven sack leaders. The only players needing to be replaced right now are Everson Griffen and Michael Pierce.
Assumedly, the Pierce replacement is already in place with the Phillips acquisition. He’s a younger, cheaper option than the Vikings would have had with the veteran, who recently returned back to the Baltimore Ravens. That means Minnesota really only has to replace the production of Everson Griffen–who had five sacks in nine games.
Obviously, the Vikings should make an effort to find a talented pass rusher in this year’s NFL Draft. There are a number of them in this class, and that should stretch into rounds two and three; the perfect place to grab some developmental depth at EDGE. That doesn’t mean Minnesota needs to make this unit their primary focus, though. The main concern for this team remains the secondary and interior offensive line. Give the Vikings a few talented CBs and guards, and this will be a competitive group in 2022.
