2 Vikings Snatch Rookie Honors
On Monday, Danielle Hunter earned the award from Pro Football Writers of America, named to the PFWA’s All-NFC First team.
The good news continued Tuesday for the Vikings as wide receiver Jordan Addison and linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. grabbed PFWA’s All-Rookie First Team kudos.
2 Vikings Snatch Rookie Honors
Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling tweeted, “Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison and linebacker Ivan Pace were both selected to the PFWA Writers’ All-Rookie team. Addison made it alongside the Rams’ Puka Nacua, while Pace joins the Lions’ Jack Campbell and the Rams’ Byron Young as the LBs.”
While certainly welcomed, the PFWA heat for Addison and Pace Jr. was wildly unsurprising. For virtually all of 2023, the men turned heads as rookies: Addison with touchdowns and Pace Jr. with consistency. The two men, though, arrived to the Vikings’ doorsteps via different paths. Minnesota spent its 1st-Round pick on Addison last April but found Pace Jr. from the University of Cincinnati in undrafted free agency.
The two stood out regardless and made their mark official this week with the tip of the cap from PFWA.
This is PFWA’s All-Rookie team on offense:
QB
C.J. Stroud, Houston Texas
RB
Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit Lions
Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons
WR
Jordan Addison, Minnesota Vikings
Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams
TE
Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions
C
Joe Tippmann, New York Jets
G
Steve Avila, Los Angeles Rams
O’Cyrus Torrence, Buffalo Bills
T
Dawand Jones, Cleveland Browns
Darnell Wright, Chicago Bears
The defense:
DL
Will Anderson Jr., Houston Texans
Jalen Carter, Philadelphia Eagles
Tuli Tuipulotu, Los Angeles Chargers
Kobie Turner, Los Angeles Rams
LB
Jack Campbell, Detroit Lions
Ivan Pace Jr., Minnesota Vikings
Byron Young, Los Angeles Rams
CB
Joey Porter Jr., Pittsburgh Steelers
Devon Witherspoon, Seattle Seahawks
S
Jordan Battle, Cincinnati Bengals
Ji’Ayir Brown, San Francisco 49ers
And special teams:
PK
Jake Moody, San Francisco 49ers
P
Bryce Baringer, New England Patriots
KR
Marvin Mims Jr., Denver Broncos
PR
Derius Davis, Los Angeles Chargers
ST
Jerrick Reed II, Seattle Seahawks
Addison took the NFL by storm this season, always creating big plays with Kirk Cousins and Nick Mullens under center, a fantastic opening salvo for the 21-year-old. His grand entrance was so commendable that he fetched placement on ESPN’s Top 10 Rookies of 2023 list last week. The Vikings playmaker checked in at No. 8, tied with running back Bijan Robinson of the Atlanta Falcons.
For Pace, According to Pro Football Focus, he was the NFL’s 17th-best off-ball linebacker in 2023, notably outpacing defenders like Foyesade Oluokun and Nick Bolton. He’s also PFF’s top rookie linebacker — by several miles.
Pace was assumed to be drafted anywhere from Round 3 to 5 last April, but NFL general managers were evidently turned off by his size — he’s about two inches shorter than a normal off-ball linebacker. Expressing bafflement about clubs not signing on his dotted line until after the draft, Pace posted to Instagram a picture of himself in April with the Vikings logo and a caption for the rest of the world, “Y’all done f-cked up.” He knew all along that his talent would translate to the NFL — silly height reservations be damned.
The Vikings own the 11th pick in this year’s draft, hoping to recreate the Addison + Pace Jr. stardom.
Vikings Add New CB
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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