3 Vikings Represented on Recent “Top 100” List
CBS Sports showed the Minnesota Vikings love this week, sending three players to Pete Prisco’s annual Top 100 Players list.
3 Vikings Represented on Recent “Top 100” List
All players came from the offensive side of the ball — no huge surprise with an offense-first head coach in Kevin O’Connell — and are under the age of 27.
Prisco named Justin Jefferson (WR, No. 7), Christian Darrisaw (LT, No. 54), and T.J. Hockenson (TE, No. 67) to his player power rankings, with running back Aaron Jones, a recent free-agent transfer from the Green Bay Packers, nabbing Honorable Mention treatment.
“Injuries limited him to nine starts last season, which is why he had a career-low 68 catches in his fourth season. But he averaged 107.4 receiving yards per game, which was a career best,” Prisco explained about Jefferson, who sandwiched between Josh Allen at No. 6 and Christian McCaffrey at No. 8.
Jefferson just received an elephantine contract extension two weeks ago and is connected to the Vikings roster for the next five years. His contract exactly aligns with rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy.
For Darrisaw, Prisco noted, “His play slipped a little last season from 2022, but he still remains one of the better left tackles in the league. He is outstanding in pass protection, but needs to improve in the run game.”
Not unlike Jefferson, Darrisaw will expect a mammoth extension sometime in the next year or so, one likely to make him the richest left tackle in NFL history. Darrisaw curiously hasn’t received Pro Bowl love through three seasons, but it’s only a matter of time before he breaks through.
Finally, Prisco wrote about Hockenson, who could miss the start of the season while recovering from a knee injury: “Playing in an offense that had quarterback struggles for much of the season in 2023, he still caught 95 passes in 15 games with five touchdowns. He should be a nice asset again this year to whomever starts at quarterback for the Vikings. But he is coming off a torn ACL.”
Hockenson is an absolute mainstay in the middle of Minnesota’s offense and, at age 26, still has several years of productivity ahead. He, too, inked a humongous extension last summer.
Former Vikings outside linebacker Danielle Hunter checked in at No. 35, with Kirk Cousins near the bottom at No. 98. Hunter now plays for the Houston Texans, and Cousins signed in Atlanta.
The Vikings’ first regular season game is less than 12 weeks away.
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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.
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