Danielle Hunter and Yannick Ngakoue Ranked as No. 2 Edge Rusher Duo in NFL

Having two outstanding defensive ends has been a staple of the Vikings' roster for the last decade-plus. First it was Jared Allen and Ray Edwards, then Allen and Brian Robison, then Robison and Everson Griffen, and most recently Griffen and Danielle Hunter.

With Griffen leaving this offseason, that had become a question mark. But by making a blockbuster trade for Yannick Ngakoue on Sunday, the Vikings have ensured that they will once again have one of the best edge rusher duos in the NFL in 2020.

So where does the Vikings' Hunter-Ngakoue tandem rank among the NFC North – which is loaded with elite pass rushers – and the NFL as a whole? Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports compiled his rankings of starting edge rusher duos following the Ngakoue trade, and he has the Vikings' two 25-year-old studs all the way up at No. 2 in the league.

Yes, really. Hunter is criminally underrated and a true physical freak. Ngakoue isn't as imposing against the run, but you don't rack up 37.5 sacks in four years by accident. The youth and upside are just a bonus. This could be a No. 1-worthy pairing in a year or two.

The only team that ranks ahead of the Vikings in this department is the team that ended their season last year. The 49ers' Nick Bosa and Arik Armstead take the top spot in Benjamin's list.

You don't have to look far to see another team from the Vikings' division. The Bears' Khalil Mack and Robert Quinn are in the No. 3 spot, right behind the Vikings. The Packers and their Smith Bros. (Za'Darius and Preston, who aren't related) are at No. 12, which feels a little low to me. The Lions (Trey Flowers and Romeo Okwara) are down at No. 23.

Interestingly, the Cowboys cracked the Top 5 with DeMarcus Lawrence and Griffen. The Chargers (Joey Bosa, Melvin Ingram) are the only AFC team in the Top 5.

I think No. 2 is pretty accurate for the Vikings, who have a legitimate case for the top spot. Not only have Hunter and Ngakoue been incredibly productive thus far in their NFL careers, but both are just entering their primes at 25 years old and could continue to improve.

Here's what the top five looks like if you simply go off of 2019 sack totals:

Buccaneers (Shaq Barrett, Jason Pierre-Paul): 28
Cardinals (Chandler Jones, Devon Kennard): 26
Steelers (T.J. Watt, Bud Dupree): 26
Packers (Z. Smith, P. Smith): 25.5
Vikings (Hunter, Ngakoue): 22.5

But going back to 2016, no current duo has more than the 86 combined sacks between Hunter and Ngakoue. It's going to be fun to watch these two guys terrorize opposing quarterbacks this season.

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