One Viking Totally Snubbed from ‘Top 100’ List
Dustin Baker
|
NFL players will unveil their annual Top 100 players rankings in about one month, a summer tradition before preseason kicks off.
But CBS Sports got out in front this week, as Pete Prisco authored his rankings — that just so happened to include Vikings personnel Justin Jefferson (No. 7), Christian Darrisaw (No. 56), and Harrison Smith (No. 97).
One Viking Totally Snubbed from ‘Top 100’ List
Prisco said about Jefferson at No. 7, “He led the NFL in catches (128) and yards (1,809), while also leading in receptions of 20 or more yards (28). He is the league’s best receiver heading into next season.”
So, that was fine and dandy. Yet, even in the lengthy honorable mention section, Vikings TE T.J. Hockenson was nowhere to be found.
Prisco’s list, for example, implies ex-Vikings CB Patrick Peterson is a better current football player than Hockenson. So is Green Bay Packers wideout Christian Watson. And these insinuations are false.
Of course, it’s ‘no big deal’ in the grand scheme of NFL life that Hockenson didn’t make the cut, but it almost feels like Prisco flat-out forgot about the Pro Bowl tight end — as if it was an oversight.
On November 1st, 2022, the Minnesota Vikings traded a 2nd-Round pick from 2023 and a 2024 3rd-Round pick to the Detroit Lions for Hockenson, a 2023 4th-Round pick, and a conditional 2024 4th-Round pick. General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah traded down two rounds next year and one in 2024 to land the former Lion.
The trade utterly revamped the Vikings 2022 offense, adding a target for quarterback Kirk Cousins in the middle of the field. Opposing defensive coordinators increasingly focused on Hockenson’s Offensive Player of the Year teammate (Jefferson), so Hockenson felt like a godsend.
Hockenson notched 60 receptions for 519 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns in 10 games with the Vikings — not a bad opening salvo. Moreover, spread throughout an entire regular season and per-target basis, Hockenson could’ve — and still might in 2023 — tabulated a 100+ catch, 1000+ yard season in Minnesota. That’s the goal.
Moreover, some argue Hockenson is a Top 5 NFL tight end, so exclusion from an NFL Top 100 pecking order is utterly head-scratching. George Kittle checked in on the Prisco list at No. 32. In the end, Prisco may not value tight end, in general, as a premium NFL position.
In late May, the Vikings conducted organized team activities (OTAs), and Hockenson spoke to reporters about his future with the Vikings. “That’s not really anything I’m focused on. I mean, it is what it is. I think that’s no secret that that’s coming up, but that’s not a focus that I’m worried about. I’m just out here playing football, having fun with the guys, really enjoying the city of Minneapolis and trying to get around these fans,” Hockenson said.
“This is a place obviously I want to be, and everything needs to work out. I hope to be here for a long time, but on the same hand, it is a business, and there’s a side to that. Again, I don’t look at that, but it’s great to be here right now,” he added.
Before too long, Hockenson will be attached to the Vikings for the long haul. But he’s evidently not a Top 100 player — or Top 147 with honorable mentions — according to CBS Sports.
Former Vikings TE Done for the Year
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
You must be logged in to post a comment.