No Love for Vikings' Danielle Hunter and Eric Kendricks in ESPN's Top 10s By Position
Drafted on the second day of the 2015 draft, Eric Kendricks and Danielle Hunter have spent much of the last seven years as two of the Vikings' best, most important players. Just three years ago, in 2019, both were named All-Pros, cementing them among the very best players in the NFL at their respective positions.
Heading into 2022, some of that national respect has faded for the Vikings' longest-tenured players not named Harrison Smith or Adam Thielen. Whether that's deserved or not is up for interpretation.
ESPN is rolling out its third annual rankings of the top 10 players at each position, based on a survey of over 50 league executives, coaches, scouts and players, and so far they've released the lists at edge rusher, interior defensive line, and off-ball linebacker. It wasn't surprising to see neither Dalvin Tomlinson nor Harrison Phillips listed in the IDL rankings, but it was surprising to see both Hunter and Kendricks fall out of the top 10 at their positions.
At edge rusher, Hunter was 10th a year ago but is just an honorable mention this year.
Hunter is a top-10 rusher when healthy, but he has missed 26 games over the past two seasons. Still, he has 60.5 sacks in 85 career games. "A long-arm power guy. Greatest asset speed and length. Those things will always cause problems," an AFC coach said. "I did not think he should be what he is. He certainly proved me wrong."
It's difficult to argue with Hunter being left off the list after he missed the final ten games of last season and all of 2020. With that said, I think if he stays healthy this year, he'll prove that he absolutely should've been in the top ten.
Hunter became the youngest player ever to reach 50 career sacks before injuries derailed his past two seasons. He's still just 27 years old and remains one of the most physically dominant edge rushers in the league because of his size, strength, and burst. Playing in a new defensive scheme, alongside new pass rush partner Za'Darius Smith — who wasn't even an honorable mention in this list — should allow Hunter to find one-on-one matchups and thrive in 2022.
Kendricks' national perception has plummeted over the past couple years. Coming off his first team All-Pro season in 2019, he was ESPN's No. 3 linebacker going into 2020. Despite being the best player on a 2020 Vikings defense that was severely lacking in overall talent, he fell to 7th in last year's ranking. And now, coming off an admittedly underwhelming 2021 season, he's outside of the top ten entirely.
Kendricks is known for his pass coverage but finished 2021 with a career-high five sacks. "Still really good, but there have been other guys who have passed him up somewhat," an AFC scout said. "Probably somewhere high in that second tier of guys."
Pro Football Focus grades are an imperfect metric, but last season, Kendricks received his lowest grade since his rookie year. Does that mean the 30-year-old has lost a step and will never play at an All-Pro level again? Not necessarily. It's possible that the Vikings' new scheme and some new teammates — Smith, Phillips, and LB partner Jordan Hicks — could help Kendricks have a resurgent 2022 campaign. He's still one of the best coverage linebackers in the NFL and set a career-high in sacks last year. If he can bounce back as a run defender, Kendricks could make this "honorable mention" ranking look silly.
I think there was a case to keep Kendricks in the top ten based on career track record, but like with Hunter, it's not hard to understand why he was left out.
We'll see if both players can bounce back this season.
Keep an eye on the rest of ESPN's top 10 rankings by position as they come out.
We'll roll out a position per day over 11 days. Here's the schedule: edge rushers (July 5), defensive tackles (July 6), off-ball linebackers (July 7), cornerbacks (July 8), safeties (July 9), interior offensive linemen (July 10), quarterbacks (July 11), running backs (July 12), wide receivers (July 13), tight ends (July 14) and offensive tackles (July 15).
In addition to Hunter and Kendricks cracking the top ten in last year's rankings, Dalvin Cook was the No. 3 RB and Harrison Smith was the No. 5 safety. Kirk Cousins, Justin Jefferson, and Adam Thielen were honorable mentions at their positions.
Jefferson making his top ten debut is a lock, but how high will he be? I'd expect both Cook and Smith to be lower than they were last year. Will Brian O'Neill crack the top ten tackles? We'll find out over the next week or so.
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