In 2019, Vikings linebacker Eric Kendricks had the best season of his career at age 27. Kendricks made his first Pro Bowl and was also named to his first All-Pro team.
For a defense that has familiar names like Harrison Smith and Danielle Hunter, Kendricks often gets overlooked.
Earlier in the week, NFL.com put together its NFL All-Analytics Team. Kendricks was the lone Vikings’ representative.
Here’s what Cynthia Frelund wrote about Kendricks:
Kendricks was PFF’s highest-ranked LB in 2019 (among those with a minimum of 300 snaps). Coverage is where Kendricks’ efforts produced the most success, with just an 83.9 passer rating allowed when in coverage, which is about 20 points lower than the league average against linebackers, per PFF.
The Vikings, who will have more than a new faces on the defensive side of the ball in 2020, will need another solid season of Kendricks if they want to find success.
In 2019, Kendricks had 110 tackles, four tackles for loss and a career-high two fumbles recovered.
You can view the full team here.