Sep 25, 2022; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings linebacker Danielle Hunter. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports.
There is still plenty of Pro Bowl voting to go, but so far, the Minnesota Vikings are handsomely represented.
Through the second wave of fan balloting, the Vikings have eight players in the Top 10 by position, an impressive circumstance as quarterback Kirk Cousins and Justin Jefferson are not really in the mix due to injury.
The Pro Bowl is scheduled for February 4th, 2024, in Orlando at Camping World Stadium.
These are the eight players for Minnesota, with by-position Pro Bowl voting ranking as of December 20th:
How many Vikings will ultimately get the nod? That’s debatable. Cousins and Jefferson may have been locks before injuries derailed their seasons — Jefferson, especially. And at the time Cousins was lost for the year to an Achilles tear, he led the NFL in touchdown passes and was on pace for a campaign with 38 touchdown passes and 11 interceptions. Pro Bowl numbers, to be sure.
Without Cousins in the Pro Bowl and possibly no Jefferson, Hockenson, Hunter, and DePaola are close to locks. Then, one of Minnesota’s suddenly good safeties, like Bynum or Metellus, could be put over the top for a first Pro Bowl. We shall see.
Ham is only in the Top 15 because relatively few fullbacks exist in the NFL — these days, anyway. Harrison Smith has performed well in 2023, his 12th NFL season, and Pro Football Focus ranks him as the NFL’s 25th-best safety, likely not enough for the Pro Bowl.
Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill didn’t fetch Top 10 fan voting, but both are worthy of Pro Bowl consideration and at least one should make the cut. Darrisaw, particularly, is overdue for his first Pro Bowl honor.
Around the league, these are the top vote-getters as of December 20th (vote totals in red):
Vikings linebacker Jordan Hicks would’ve gained Pro Bowl attention, too, but he has missed the last four games due to compartment syndrome.
Seven Vikings players grabbed Pro Bowl kudos in 2022: Dalvin Cook, Kirk Cousins, T.J. Hockenson, Danielle Hunter, Justin Jefferson, Andrew DePaola, and Za’Darius Smith.
Minnesota hosts the Detroit Lions in Week 16 at U.S. Bank Stadium for a rivalry matchup and is a three-point underdog.
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.