Danielle Hunter Is the Last Man Standing
Dustin Baker
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The week before NFL free agency began with a bang as the Minnesota Vikings released longtime linebacker Eric Kendricks on Monday.
Kendricks, 30, was a Viking for eight years and will now hit free agency for the first time entering his age-31 season. The move was expected, with Minnesota needing to clear cap space for onboarding new players in Brian Flores’ defense.
Danielle Hunter Is the Last Man Standing
And with Kendricks’ dismissal, Vikings outside linebacker Danielle Hunter is the last man standing from the 2015 NFL Draft. It’s not uncommon for a draft class to scatter after eight years, but the cold hard truth is that Hunter is the last guy left.
Minnesota’s 2015 draft class could be used as a user’s manual on “how to draft.” During the event, former Vikings general manager Rick Spielman welcomed Kendricks, Hunter, Stefon Diggs, and Trae Waynes, among others, to the franchise. It was a true homerun.
But now, almost all those men play elsewhere or have since retired. Here’s the full class:
- R1: Trae Waynes (CB)
- R2: Eric Kendricks (LB)
- R3: Danielle Hunter (DE)
- R4: T.J. Clemmings (OT)
- R5: MyCole Pruitt (TE)
- R5: Stefon Diggs (WR)
- R6: Tyrus Thompson (OT)
- R6: B.J. Dubose (DE)
- R7: Austin Shepherd (OT)
- R7: Edmond Robinson (OLB)
Of course, about half of the class turned into nothingburgers for the Vikings, but that is not unusual. Hitting on Kendricks, Hunter, Diggs, and Waynes (to an extent) is rather jaw-dropping in retrospect.
Hunter spent the early part of the 2022 campaign acclimating to a 3-4 defense for the first time in his career, and indeed, it took a few weeks to get cooking. That’s just the way it goes for defenders habitually encountering alternate defensive schemes for most of their careers. Hunter’s adaptation to a 3-4 system after about a month should actually be commended.
Hunter is 28 and will turn 29 around Week 8 of next season. He has plenty left in the tank per the history of other prominent EDGE defenders and could continue strong into his 30s. And Hunter’s contract should receive some type of attention this offseason — probably an extension.
Hunter’s contract is unfavorable for a player and will likely be extended by a handful of years this offseason. He signed a team-friendly deal about five years ago with the aforementioned Spielman, and that contract is finally sunsetting. Vikings fans would be stunned if Hunter is released, if only because of a nasty reverse cap penalty. It’s cheaper to keep or extend Hunter than cut him.
According to Pro Football Focus, Hunter was the NFL’s seventh-best EDGE defender in 2022, tabulating a fancy 87.1 grade. He was among the best in the business, and likely won’t slow down in 2023, increasing his chances of remaining with the Vikings.
Behind Harrison Smith (2012) and Adam Thielen (2013), Hunter is the third longest-tenured player on the Vikings current roster.
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,’ and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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