Is Ivan Pace Jr. Still That Slept On?
The Minnesota Vikings have substantially changed the quarterback position this offseason. The defense has added some new faces, but some of the same starters return. Apparently, Ivan Pace Jr. isn’t thought of highly enough.
Is Ivan Pace Jr. Still That Slept On?
A year ago, Ivan Pace Jr. elevated himself from undrafted to one of the Vikings defensive leaders. Not only was he a great guy to rally around, but he was also truly spectacular from a production standpoint. Brian Flores Jr. quickly made him the quarterback of his group, and while Minnesota has plenty to do on that side of the ball, Pace Jr. is not among the issues.
According to CBS Sport, though, Pace is just a good linebacker. At 20th overall across the league, he isn’t seen as among the great talents or close to an elite one. Each team deploys at least two linebackers, so this would suggest that Pace Jr. is at least among the top third. I suppose that is a strong starting point, but looking back at his production, it’s confusing that he isn’t higher.
In just 11 starts, pace recorded a whopping 102 tackles. He tallied 2.5 sacks and recorded nine quarterback hits. Pace Jr. also had a pair of passes defensed and forced a fumble. To say that he put on a show during his rookie season would be putting it lightly. Nothing he did on the field should have him ranked anywhere but among the best at the position.
In year two, Pace Jr. will be tasked with helping elevate the unit even further. The cornerback position is still a struggle, and the depth got worse when promising rookie draft pick Khyree Jackson was tragically killed in a car accident. The edge rusher spot has entirely changed since last season, and one of the free agents remains a mystery as to when he will be healthy.
If the Vikings will be a formidable team on defense this year, it will be because of the growth established names see under a second year of Brian Flores. It was great that Kevin O’Connell’s defensive coordinator wasn’t poached for a more prominent position, but now the unit needs to capitalize on the fact that he returns.
Forcing his way up the national rankings next year would be Pace Jr. doing more of the same. He has already laid a strong foundation.
If he can build on that and keep going in year two, a first Pro Bowl appearance could be in order.
Ted Schwerzler is a blogger from the Twin Cities that is focused on all things Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Vikings. He’s active on Twitter and writes weekly for Twins Daily. As a former college athlete and avid sports fan, covering our pro teams with a passion has always seemed like such a natural outlet.
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