Vikings Called Out in Brutal PFF Rankings
Not everything is sunshine and rainbows for the 2025 Minnesota Vikings.
PFF’s latest defensive rankings don’t pull punches — the Vikings were slammed, leaving folks scratching their heads about the team’s defensive forecast.
The club has stacked palpable anticipation and excitement this offseason, mainly because general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah spent close to $300 million in free agency (per Over the Cap) and promoted J.J. McCarthy to QB1.
However, per Pro Football Focus, Minnesota still has a glaring weakness: the defensive secondary.
Vikings Secondary Is Apparently Suspect
No. 27 is the preseason placement, says PFF.
PFF Calls Vikings’ Secondary NFL’s 6th-Worst
PFF’s John Kosko decided to rank all NFL secondaries this week, and Minnesota did not receive much love. Typically this go-round, when any batch of NFL rankings hit the airwaves, the Vikings are pretty prominent and not at the back of the league.
The cornerbacks and safeties are evidently a different story.
Kosko placed Minnesota at No. 27 and noted, “This is an aging secondary that benefits from a defensive scheme designed to pressure opposing quarterbacks. Safety Harrison Smith still plays quality football, though his prime years are behind him. Josh Metellus is an average safety but reliable against the run.”
“Cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. is coming off a career year, but it’s unclear whether he’s finally hitting his stride or if it was a one-year spike in performance. The Vikings added several defensive backs in free agency — Isaiah Rodgers, Tavierre Thomas and Jeff Okudah — but they will likely need the front seven to continue generating heavy pressure for the secondary to succeed.”
Pumping the Brakes on Summer Enthusiasm
Kevin O’Connell’s team might’ve needed a little humility this summer. After all, the team ranks 10th-best per Super Bowl odds and generally showcases a fantastic and deep roster.
However, most fans agree that the cornerback group could use a little more beef. It’s why popular theories involving Jaire Alexander and Jalen Ramsey dominated the rumor mill from March to July.
Kosko’s lowly ranking reflects the alleged weakness for Minnesota: the CBs.
The Group in Question
Need a comprehensive itinerary of Minnesota’s secondary? We’ve got it. These are the cornerbacks:
- Byron Murphy Jr.
- Isaiah Rodgers
- Mekhi Blackmon
- Jeff Okudah
- Dwight McGlothern
- Ambry Thomas
- Tavierre Thomas
- Reddy Steward
- Kahlef Hailassie
- Keenan Garber
- Zemaiah Vaughn
And the safeties:
- Harrison Smith
- Josh Metellus
- Theo Jackson
- Jay Ward
- Mishael Powell
There are certainly plenty of bodies. Flores won’t have a difficult time finding candidates for the 53-man roster at the end of August.
Kosko is just concerned about the quality.
Up to Vikings to Prove Them Wrong
Like any unflattering ranking, the Vikings can merely show up to the regular season and prove naysayers wrong. Leading up to the 2024 campaign — so, this time on the calendar last year — oddsmakers forecasted the purple team for 6.5 wins, mainly because Sam Darnold headlined the enterprise, and Minnesota had a brutal schedule afoot.
Kevin O’Connell and friends later finished the season with a 14-3 record, and Darnold briefly flirted with MVP contention.
Therefore, like the embarrassing defensive secondary ranking, Flores and Co. can swat away slander on the field — in 60 days.
Ravens Earn Top Dog Status
According to Kosko, the Baltimore Ravens represent the league’s top secondary.
He defended the selection: “The Ravens added PFF’s ninth-highest-graded cornerback from a year ago, Jaire Alexander, this offseason to pair with the NFL’s seventh-highest-graded cornerback, Marlon Humphrey. They also drafted Malaki Starks, PFF’s top-ranked safety in the 2025 NFL Draft, to join the league’s best safety, Kyle Hamilton.”
“While safety Ar’Darius Washington suffered a torn Achilles tendon in May and is likely to miss the entire 2025 season, Baltimore’s philosophy of drafting the best player available has given the unit tremendous depth, assuming Starks lives up to his draft status. Don’t forget the Ravens selected Nate Wiggins in the first round of the 2024 draft and signed Chidobe Awuzie in free agency. This is a secondary that could be extremely difficult to throw against in 2025.”
And on the Las Vegas Raiders in last place: “Despite several offseason additions aimed at improving the secondary, this unit looks troublesome on paper. Safety Jeremy Chinn is the most seasoned veteran, but his 65.2 grade in 2024 was his best in three years — a reflection of recent struggles.”
“The team drafted cornerback Darien Porter in the third round, and he could provide a spark, but the unit is expected to start multiple players who posted coverage grades below 50.0 last season.”
Overall, the Vikings’ defense ranked second-best in the NFL per EPA/Play. That included defensive backs Stephon Gilmore, Shaquill Griffin, and Camryn Bynum, all of whom left the organization this offseason.
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