After Kirk Cousins and Danielle Hunter departed the organization in free agency three months ago, the squad has seen a lot of upheaval. Notable newcomers include quarterbacks J.J. McCarthy and Sam Darnold, as well as outside linebackers Jonathan Greenard and Dallas Turner.
These are the top four Vikings that lead that category. There are also a few guys who not many people actually talk about. In ascending order, they are listed (No. 1 = best one no one speaks about).
4. DT Jerry Tillery
When Tillery entered the conversation this summer, some Vikings supporters laughed, mostly because the team didn’t sign a well-known defensive lineman like Christian Wilkins. Some believed that Tillery was a lousy consolation prize.
Even if Tillery hasn’t performed up to his first-round draft stock—nothing even remotely close to it—he still managed to generate a 67.7 PFF rating in 2023. That little statistic is rarely mentioned. The dude is a passable lineman, but he’s hardly Christian Wilkins.
His appearance on the Vikings has already been dismissed by many as the continuation of a first-round flop. However, under Brian Flores’ guidance, a respectable PFF rating is a starting point.
3. CB Andrew Booth
Like Tillery, Booth has fallen short of his draft scouting report and is often laughed at by irascible Vikings supporters. Nevertheless, in 2023, Booth found the field on around 100 coverage plays and received a 68.6 rating from PFF.
It’s difficult to comprehend why some people believe he is so terrible. As a second-year commodity, he did rather well, and he’ll soon be facing a very important Year No. 3. Since many people think he’s not very good, he made the list.
2. TE Josh Oliver
Oliver quietly evaluated as one of the top tight ends in the NFL in 2023, per PFF. All he does is clear channels for running backs and do grunt work as a tight end; he’s not exactly a pretty pass-catcher.
Oliver will be more crucial than ever, though, since T.J. Hockenson is expected to miss the season opener. The advantageous aspect? He’s an excellent tight end. There is no mistake in the PFF production’s grade. The dude is genuine.
1. Blackmon Mekhi (CB)
Like they pounded the table during Ivan Pace Jr.’s first season, Vikings supporters ought to do the same for Blackmon. However, they don’t. People enjoy making fun of Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s draft selections, but they seldom ever talk about Ty Chandler, Jordan Addison, or Blackmon.
In 2023, Blackmon ranked as the third-best rookie cornerback in the league and 30th-best overall, including veteran players. Fans of the Vikings have not given the guy their praise, and it doesn’t stack up. He wrote an incredible first campaign.
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