Vikings’ Most Underrated Asset Identified for 2025
The Minnesota Vikings will need a handful of underrated players on the summer depth chart to step up and thrive in 2025, and CBS Sports knows a guy.
CBS Sports has unearthed the Vikings’ most underrated asset for the 2025 season, labeling a key piece that could play a pivotal role in the success of the offense.
Cody Benjamin from that site scoured the NFC North this week for underrated assets, and when he arrived at the Vikings, running back Jordan Mason got the call.
The halfback acquired by Minnesota via trade this offseason could be an untapped force this year.
The Vikings’ Underrated Weapon Is … Jordan Mason
Mason should get a healthy dose of touches in the 2025 offense.
CBS Sports Calls RB Jordan Mason the Vikings’ Underrated Gem
Truth be told, most Vikings fans would agree with CBS Sports‘ assessment; Mason feels like he’s on the verge of another breakout, not unlike his relief duty in San Francisco last year.
Benjamin wrote about Mason’s underrated appeal in Minnesota this season: “Everyone and their mother knows J.J. McCarthy is the X factor in Minnesota. But the young quarterback doesn’t just have an elite pass catching tandem to support his regular-season debut.”
“The Vikings quietly added Mason via trade with the 49ers, plucking San Francisco’s top Christian McCaffrey fill-in for what appears to be a meaty role. Aaron Jones is still the clear starter in the backfield, but coach Kevin O’Connell seems intent on spelling the speedy veteran with Mason’s more physical approach. The run game could be pivotal here.”
Other underrated candidates might include tight end Josh Oliver, defensive tackle Jalen Redmond, outside linebacker Gabriel Murphy, or cornerback Dwight McGlothern.
A Fresh Face in the Rushing Offense
In 2022, Kevin O’Connell’s first year as the head coach, Minnesota ranked 27th per rushing DVOA. A year later, he vowed improvement — and his team ranked 27th once again. During the 2024 offseason, O’Connell — you guessed it — vowed improvement, and the mark climbed to 20th best in the NFL.
This season, the team has claimed that rushing offense is a priority, and O’Connell could, alas, enter the Top 15 with his one-two punch of Mason and Aaron Jones.
The personnel is there.
Acquired via Low-Risk Trade
In March, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah traded underwhelming guard Ed Ingram to the Houston Texans for a 6th-Round pick. Soon after, he used that pick to obtain Mason from the San Francisco 49ers, so he essentially traded Ingram for Mason.
While Ingram’s failure to stay in Minnesota as a legitimate guard is a gaffe on Adofo-Mensah’s resume, shipping him elsewhere for the equivalent of Mason can be considered a masterclass, especially if Mason fulfills the CBS Sports underrated prophecy. A salvage job.
Running the Ball with an Inexperienced QB
Meanwhile, the Vikings employ an inexperienced quarterback, J.J. McCarthy, who won a National Championship at Michigan in a run-first offense. The working theory suggests that O’Connell may attempt to replicate run-heavy ways — for the first time in his head coaching career — to aptly accommodate McCarthy, at least out of the gate in his young career.
So while Minnesota has preached rushing offense enhancements for three straight offseasons, it may be damn near mandatory in 2025 with a green signal-caller.
That’s where Mason enters the chat.
Other Underrated Characters from NFC North
From the same article, Benjamin called tight end Tucker Kraft the Green Bay Packers’ underrated commodity.
He explained, “The Packers didn’t take wide receiver lightly this offseason, spending two early draft picks on new toys for Jordan Love. The first pick, Matthew Golden, appears especially poised to have an early impact out wide alongside Jayden Reed and Co.”
“But bumps and bruises still run rampant in that position room (see: Christian Watson, who’s set to miss the start of the season). That could leave Kraft as one of Love’s most reliable pass targets. The former third-rounder quietly logged 50 catches and 700 yards in 2024, earning Love’s trust as a safety valve.”
And for the Chicago Bears, Benjamin named D’Andre Swift and opined: “The key to this season in Motor City is how Williams and Johnson coexist, provided of course the quarterback gets adequate protection from his rebuilt front. But almost nobody is talking about how much Johnson leaned upon the ground game in his Detroit Lions run.”
“Swift even spent time with Johnson in Motown. He was woefully inefficient to start his 2024 season in Chicago, but he’s still got home run burst. Maybe he’ll be paired effectively with rookie Kyle Monangai, a preseason standout, to give the Bears a legitimate one-two punch.”
The Vikings play Swift and his Bears in Chicago in 25 days.
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