Dalvin Cook, Justin Jefferson, Cameron Dantzler Earn Honors From PFWA
Three Minnesota Vikings players were included on the All-NFL or All-Rookie teams released recently by the Pro Football Writers of America. Dalvin Cook was the Vikings' lone representative on the All-NFL team, while Justin Jefferson and Cameron Dantzler were featured on the All-Rookie team.
Cook continues to be the top Viking included in postseason awards. He was a Pro Bowl selection and Minnesota's only first team All-Pro after a dominant season in which he led the NFL in yards from scrimmage per game. Cook racked up 1,918 total yards and 17 touchdowns in just 13.5 games. We'll see if he takes home any individual hardware in a few weeks at the NFL Honors show. Cook is nominated for the FedEx Ground Player of the Year along with Derrick Henry and Alvin Kamara, and more importantly, is a top candidate for NFL Offensive Player of the Year along with those same names and a few others.
The PFWA's full All-NFL and all-conference teams can be found here. I think a case can be made for Jefferson over DeAndre Hopkins and Harrison Smith over Jamal Adams on the All-NFC team, but I get it.
Jefferson, who was named a second team All-Pro and made the Pro Bowl as a rookie, easily makes it onto the PFWA's All-Rookie team. However, the organization's Rookie of the Year award went to Chargers QB Justin Herbert, just like the real one from the Associated Press is expected to next month. The debate on whether Jefferson or Herbert is more deserving can be had all day, but the reality is that Herbert's position gives him the leg up in the eyes of most. It's still shocking to me that the guy who set the Super Bowl era record with 1,400 receiving yards as a rookie isn't going to win OROY, but it is what it is.
Dantzler has also been a popular pick on All-Rookie defensive teams alongside Chiefs CB L'Jarius Sneed. Those were the two corners on PFF's All-Rookie team, and now also on the PFWA's. Not bad for the 11th and 16th corners selected in this year's draft, respectively.
Thanks for reading. Make sure to bookmark this site and check back daily for the latest Vikings news and analysis all offseason long. Also, follow me on Twitter and feel free to ask me any questions on there.
