Where Does Vikings' Five-Player Core Rank Within NFL?
Where does the Vikings' core group of five players rank within the NFL?
ESPN's Seth Walder recently ordered all 32 teams by the strength of their five most important players. Here's how "core" was defined:
A core was defined as the five most important players to a team — the guys each roster is built around. The ranking is for 2023, but there was a consideration of age in deciding which players made each team's core. For some teams, there were too many good candidates to choose from, while even getting to five was tough for others.
The Vikings, with four of their five core players on the offensive side of the ball, checked in at No. 13.
Roster core: QB Kirk Cousins, WR Justin Jefferson, OLB Danielle Hunter, OT Christian Darrisaw, TE T.J. Hockenson
Average core age: 27.4
If you can't have an elite quarterback, the next-best thing is an elite wide receiver. There's perhaps no one better at the position than Jefferson, and he's the primary reason the Vikings are in this spot.
Interestingly, the AFC dominates these rankings, as the Vikings trail only the Eagles, Cowboys, and 49ers among NFC teams despite ranking 13th overall.
It's hard to disagree with any of ESPN's picks for the Vikings' core. Jefferson and Darrisaw are no-brainers, and Hunter is their best defensive player — if he remains on the team. Cousins probably has to be in there because he's the quarterback, but his uncertain future beyond this season makes it hard to consider him a "core" player moving forward. The last spot could be either Hockenson or Brian O'Neill, or maybe even someone like Byron Murphy Jr. or Jordan Addison.
What likely holds the Vikings back from a top-ten ranking is Cousins. If they can find a younger franchise quarterback in the coming years, they could have one of the best cores in the league because of Jefferson and Darrisaw's brilliance.
Within the NFC North, the Lions rank 18th, the Packers 24th, and the Bears 25th.
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