Who are the Vikings' Three Best Players Heading Into the 2023 Season?
Who are the Vikings' three best players heading into the 2023 season?
Without question, Justin Jefferson gets the top spot. The reigning NFL offensive player of the year has a strong case as the best player in the league at his position.
That leaves two spots open for debate.
In my eyes, one of them belongs to Christian Darrisaw, even after just one season of elite play. The second-year left tackle was so good in 2022, and considering he just turned 24, his arrow is pointing up. Darrisaw looks like he has a chance to be one of the game's premier tackles for a long time.
There are a few contenders for the final spot.
PFF recently made their picks for every team's three best players, and they went with Jefferson, Danielle Hunter, and Darrisaw for the Vikings. Those were the team's three highest-graded players during last year's 13-win campaign, with Darrisaw at 90.4, Jefferson at 90.2, and Hunter at 87.1.
Interestingly, they had Hunter second and Dalvin Cook as the first player out.
With three straight elite receiving grades to start his career, it is silly just how good Justin Jefferson has been since coming into the league in 2020. Hunter is still a force on that defensive line, as he has recorded double-digit sacks in each of his past three seasons when fully healthy, including 2022. Darrisaw barely secured the last spot over Cook, simply because they feel like two players who could be moving in different directions. Cook, while still a very good back, posted 4.5 yards per carry and an inefficient 23.4% stuff rate in 2022 (how often a back gains zero or negative yards on a carry). Meanwhile, Darrisaw jumped to an elite 91.1 overall blocking grade in his second season.
It's hard to argue with that list. Hunter stayed healthy last season and finished tied for eighth in the league with 70 pressures. He's a three-time Pro Bowler who is one of the league's most physically imposing pass rushers when he's on the field.
If you want to make an argument for someone else over Hunter or Darrisaw, there are more options on offense than defense. Kirk Cousins, Brian O'Neill, and T.J. Hockenson all deserve a spot in the conversation. Among that group, Hockenson is the youngest and thus perhaps the most likely to continue ascending. Prior to last season, Cook would've been in the mix for me, but his days with the Vikings appear to be numbered anyways.
Defensively, three of the Vikings' highest-graded players — Patrick Peterson, Za'Darius Smith, and Dalvin Tomlinson — all departed this offseason, as did Eric Kendricks. Harrison Smith is probably the best non-Hunter defender for now, but he's past his prime at age 34. Free agent acquisitions Byron Murphy Jr. and Marcus Davenport could find themselves in the discussion with strong debut seasons in Minnesota.
The Vikings will also be hoping that at least one or two of their young defenders from the 2022 draft — Lewis Cine, Andrew Booth Jr., Brian Asamoah, and Akayleb Evans — eventually becomes a top-10 player on the team, if not better.
For now, I'm in agreement with Jefferson, Darrisaw, and Hunter as the top three, with the latter two spots being interchangeable.
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