Danielle Hunter’s absence was felt in 2020.
Minnesota’ sack leader was Yannick Ngakoue, a defensive end who played in just six games for the team before being traded away.
When Hunter is healthy, he’s one of the best edge rushers in the league. When he’s not available to play — as Vikings fans saw last year — the entire defense can be affected.
ESPN surveyed more than 50 league executives, coaches, scouts and players to rank the top 10 players at 11 different positions. Hunter came in at No. 10 among all edge rushers, despite being an honorable mention in the 2020 offseason. Maybe lack of Vikings pass rush in 2020 helped his case.
Here’s what one scout said about Hunter:
“He’s kind of like Myles Garrett in that he’s built like a Marvel character,” an AFC scout said. “Special traits and he has length to win and counter moves to go with it.”
Jeremy Fowler of ESPN wrote that Hunter is still underpaid at $72 million. “Expect Hunter to remind Minnesota of his worth in 2021,” Fowler wrote.
The Vikings need him to do just that.