The Minnesota Vikings won 14 games last season, and GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah made moves up and down the roster this offseason to keep pace with the NFC’s top contenders.
As a result, Minnesota will boast one of the NFL’s most stacked overall rosters in 2025. But when it comes to star power, not everyone is buying the hype.
CBS Sports analyst Pete Prisco recently released his annual list of the NFL’s top 100 players, and Vikings fans might be surprised at who made the list from their team: Justin Jefferson, Christian Darrisaw… and that’s it.
“Jefferson continues to make a strong case as the best receiver in the league,” wrote Prisco, who named Minnesota’s star wide out the No. 5 overall player in the NFL. “He had 103 catches with 10 touchdowns last season, but had 28 catches of 20 yards or more to lead the league.
“Darrisaw was limited to seven starts last season because of a torn ACL,” he added of the Vikings’ star left tackle, who came in at No. 59 overall. “When he was on the field, he was playing at a dominating level. He's one of the best pass blockers in the league.”
Now, let’s talk snubs.
On offense, you could make an easy case for right tackle Brian O’Neill to be included on this list. He started every game for the Vikings in 2024 and was dominant in the regular season, allowing just 19 total pressures and two sacks in those 17 games. O’Neill made the Pro Bowl Games as an alternate for Lane Johnson, whose Eagles made the Super Bowl.
Defensively, there are a couple guys worth mentioning. EDGE Andrew Van Ginkel earned All-Pro and Pro Bowl nods in 2024. He was a game-changer in his first season in Minnesota, racking up a career-high 11.5 sacks with a pair of pick-sixes.
Jonathan Greenard, Minnesota’s other EDGE, should definitely be in the conversation here. He was a menace last season with 12 sacks, four forced fumbles, three pass breakups and 18 total tackles for loss. He also had a whopping 84 QB pressures in 2024, which was third-best in the NFL. Greenard might not be in the same tier as Micah Parsons, Myles Garrett and T.J. Watt, but he thrived in Brian Flores’ defense last season and there’s no reason to see that changing in 2025.
For comparison’s sake, the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles had 10 players make the top 100 list. In the NFC North, the Lions had eight, the Packers had five and the Bears had three.
The Vikings definitely got shafted on this one.
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