Dalvin Cook, Danielle Hunter, and Harrison Smith Selected to Pro Bowl
The selections for the 2020 NFL Pro Bowl have been announced, and they include three Vikings. Running back Dalvin Cook was fourth overall in fan voting and will make his first Pro Bowl appearance, defensive end Danielle Hunter will make his second straight trip, and safety Harrison Smith is headed to Orlando for the fifth consecutive year.
Cook trailed only three quarterbacks in fan voting. He ranks third in the NFL in yards from scrimmage with 1,654 and has run for 13 touchdowns in 14 games.
"A big accomplishment, shout-out to all of my teammates and the o-linemen and everybody that contributed to me getting to this point," Cook said in a press release by the Vikings.
Cook has had a breakout year after dealing with injuries during his first two NFL seasons.
"It was getting myself in tip-top shape to get ready to tote the football," Cook said. "I’ve been working extra hard and battling back from a lot of things, so that’s where we’re at today."
Hunter has taken his game to another level this season. With 13.5 sacks in 14 games, he's tied for third in the NFL and is just one shy of the career-high mark he set last season. He recently became the youngest player to reach 50 career sacks in NFL history, and has a career-high three forced fumbles this year.
"I was pretty excited," Hunter said of being selected, per the Vikings' release. "He [Rick Spielman] told me a lot about what my peers, my teammates, other coaches and my coaches thought about my play and that they respected me. It’s an honor to be able to be a part of the Pro Bowl again for the second time in a row."
"Ever since I came in, Everson [Griffen], B-Rob [Brian Robison], L.J. [Linval Joseph], Coach Rob [Rodriguez] and Andre Patterson, they paved the way for all the things that are happening now in my life. I became a student of the game and they took me under their wing and coached me up. It’s year five now and I am just going out there and I am just playing with the fundamentals that they taught me and all the things that I’ve learned from all of those guys. I am thankful for that. It’s a blessing."
Smith, one of the longest-tenured players on the Vikings, has now made the Pro Bowl in five straight season, which is a recognition of his consistent excellence at the safety position. He has 80 tackles, 11 passes defended, three interceptions, two forced fumbles, and a sack this season.
"It’s always great to be recognized by players, fans, coaches, and it’s really a tribute to the Vikings being such a great organization," Smith said. "They kind of help you get to that success. Personal accolades are great, but it’s not really what the game’s about. I think there’s a bunch of guys on our team that should be in there. It’s cool, but we’ve still got other things to do."
Several other Vikings had legitimate cases for Pro Bowl selections, and could get in as injury replacements. Linebacker Eric Kendricks is ranked No. 1 at his position by Pro Football Focus, and safety Anthony Harris has also had an excellent season.
"With Harrison, it shows we’ve been doing our part on defense," Hunter said. "But it’s not just us. There’s a whole bunch of other guys on our defense that deserve to be in the Pro Bowl as well. It just means a lot to us because of what others think of us and people respecting our play."
Offensively, Kirk Cousins and Stefon Diggs have had Pro Bowl-caliber seasons, as have right tackle Brian O'Neill, fullback CJ Ham and tight end Kyle Rudolph.
All of the selections can be seen in this thread:
The 2020 Pro Bowl kicks off at 2 p.m. central on ESPN on January 26.
