It’s well-documented that a team must have value from every player on the roster from 1-53. However, you can learn from a team’s best five players. These are the “playmakers” or “cornerstones” of the organization, as ESPN’s Seth Walder called them in his latest piece.
The Vikings were in the top half of the league in this ranking as they were ranked 13th. They were ranked the best team in the NFC North and the fourth-best in the NFC. The five players who represented Minnesota were Kirk Cousins, Justin Jefferson, Danielle Hunter, Christian Darrisaw and T.J. Hockenson. There is no doubt that there are arguments for other players to represent Minnesota, but these were the five that Walder chose.
They were labeled 13th mainly off of the back of Jefferson as he became the center of the offense under O’Connell. Walder proclaimed that if you don’t “have an elite quarterback, the next-best thing is an elite wide receiver.”
Another thing to note is how four of the five players are on the offensive side of the football. The offense is currently doing the heavy lifting keeping this team competitive as the team rebuilds throughout the roster. As Kwefi Adofo-Mensah continues to build this team, look at how he allocates resources to the defense in the next few years. He’s already spent premium capital on building the secondary with two of his last three top 50 picks for the last two drafts. What will he covet next as Minnesota looks close the gap to contender status?