CBS Sports Nominates Breakout Player for 2024 Vikings
Ask most Minnesota Vikings fans, and they’ll reply that linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. has already broken out into prominence and credibility.
CBS Sports Nominates Breakout Player for 2024 Vikings
From a national viewpoint, though, 2024 is evidently the year for Pace Jr.’s breakout campaign.
CBS Sports‘ Jared Dubin nominated a breakout player from each NFL team this week, and for the Vikings, Pace Jr. got the nod. “Pace came out of nowhere as an undrafted free agent rookie to have a fantastic season for Minnesota’s defense. With Brian Flores scheming things up, the second-year pro should be even better now that he’s had time to settle in,” Dubin explained.
Pace Jr. will start in 2024 and could even be on pace to earn a team captain role. In that vein, the young linebacker establishing himself is not news to Vikings faithful, but the man is apparently only starting to catch on outside Minnesota’s state lines.
According to Pro Football Focus, Pace Jr. was the NFL’s 17th-best off-ball linebacker in 2023, notably outpacing defenders like Foyesade Oluokun and Nick Bolton. He was also PFF’s top rookie linebacker — by several miles. In total as a rookie, Pace Jr. notched 102 total tackles, 9 QB hits, 2.5 sacks, and an interception.
Pace Jr. also notably switched jerseys this offseason, changing from No. 40 to No. 0.
At this time last year, the Pace Jr. hype train had just left the station. The Cincinnati alumnus curiously didn’t get drafted in 2023, though most draft heads forecasted him as a mid- or late-round pick. He fell out of the event altogether, allowing Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah to scoop the defender immediately after the draft. The rest is history.
Folks began whispering, essentially right away, that Pace Jr. would make the league pay for the draft snub. Then, that’s what he did as soon as the regular season got rolling. Teammates like Harrison Smith warned fans that Pace Jr. was the real deal, and of course, the rookie backed up the praise.
Pace Jr. earned a starter’s job out of the gate in 2023 — and never relinquished it. The rookie was even named the defensive playcaller for four games during Jordan Hicks’ absence late in the season. He was that good, that ready, for the bright lights of the NFL. He even earned All-Rookie Team honors from Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA).
He’ll have a new linebacking running mate in September, as Eden Prairie native Blake Cashman joined the roster via free agency in March.
Other breakout players determined by CBS Sports? Jameson Williams (WR, Detroit Lions), George Karlaftis (DE, Kansas City Chiefs), and Zamir White (RB, Las Vegas Raiders), among 27 others.
The Vikings’ regular season begins in 24 days at the New York Giants.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
You must be logged in to post a comment.