The Minnesota Vikings defense got some important contributions from some unlikely sources in 2023, including UDFA rookie LB Ivan Pace Jr.
The 2023 season was one full of ups and downs for the Minnesota Vikings. The season started off on the wrong foot, with good offensive performances but turnovers galore. Then Kirk Cousins went down for the season, and all hope was presumed lost. Despite the injury, the Vikings reeled off a slew of wins in a row and managed to keep themselves in the playoff picture until the season’s final few weeks.
They were able to do so largely due to the defense’s performance. Defensive coordinator Brian Flores turned the Vikings defense around in a major way, getting some major contributions from some unlikely sources, such as Vikings undrafted free agent Ivan Pace Jr.
Pace had such a good season last year in his rookie campaign that Zoltan Buday of PFF has named him the Vikings most underrated player heading into the 2024 season.
Pace put up some truly impressive numbers in his rookie season. He was one of only two linebackers to earn a PFF grade of 77.0 or higher in both pass coverage and pass rush —the other being San Francisco 49ers star Fred Warner. Pace got out to a hot start, too, posting the third-highest linebacker grade through three weeks.
According to PFF, though, his performance tailed off at the end of the season. He still posted one of the best rookie campaigns from an undrafted player, and fans should expect some big things from him in 2024 and beyond.
With their rookie seasons under their belt, let’s revisit the Minnesota Vikings’ 2023 NFL draft and hand out some rookie grades.
The 2023 season for the Minnesota Vikings was the ultimate rollercoaster ride. Not even just week-to-week, but seemingly quarter-by-quarter and even series-to-series. You never knew what you were going to get from this iteration of the Vikings on any given day, and it made for some wild moments.
The season may not have ended the way the team, or the fans, wanted, but that disappointment shouldn’t overshadow the many good things that happened this year, least of all the many great contributions from the team’s rookie class.
There are a number of different ways to build a successful franchise in the NFL, but still the prevailing thought process is that it’s best to utilize the draft to build your base, and to supplement that base through free agency, trades, and the like.
Over the past few years, the Vikings have used the draft well to build up their base, including nabbing arguably the best wide receiver in football just a few short years ago when taking Justin Jefferson.
That success in the NFL draft continued in 2023, with the Vikings getting some major contributions from a number of their selections. Perhaps even more impressive, arguably their best rookie this season came in the form of someone who wasn’t drafted at all – instead being a true diamond-in-the-rough as an undrafted free agent.
With that as our backdrop, let’s revisit the 2023 Minnesota Vikings NFL draft class and hand out some grades now that their first season is officially behind them.
Who was the Minnesota Vikings rookie of the year? Our staff made their picks
The 2023 National Football League season is over for the Minnesota Vikings and now it’s time to reflect on what was and what could have been.
The Vikings had quite the roller coaster ride this season. After starting 1-4, they lost wide receiver Justin Jefferson and went on a five-game winning streak and won six out of their next eight games. They ultimately lost their final four to finish the season 7-10.
As we reflect back on the season that was for the Vikings, we as a staff took a look at it in multiple ways by handing out awards in different categories.
Here are our choices for Vikings rookie of the year.
Which Minnesota Vikings did our staff believe had the biggest surprise performance in 2023?
The 2023 National Football League season is over for the Minnesota Vikings and now it’s time to reflect on what was and what could have been.
The Vikings had quite the roller coaster ride this season. After starting 1-4, they lost wide receiver Justin Jefferson and went on a five-game winning streak and won six out of their next eight games. They ultimately lost their final four to finish the season 7-10.
As we reflect back on the season that was for the Vikings, we as a staff took a look at it in multiple ways by handing out awards in different categories.
Here are the awards for the biggest surprise performance.
Blackmon and Pace Jr. made the PFF all rookie team
After a poor showing from the 2022 rookie class, the 2023 class for the Minnesota Vikings performed significantly better. They even had two of their players make the Pro Football Focus all rookie team in cornerback Mekhi Blackmon and inside linebacker Ivan Pace Jr.
PFF’s Dalton Wasserman had nice things to say about both Pace and Blackmon but especially the former.
One of two undrafted players on this list, Pace has been the perfect fit for Brian Flores’ defense in Minnesota. His 77.2 overall PFF grade leads all qualified rookie linebackers and ranks 17th in the league.
Pace’s trademark blitzing ability has carried over from his days at the University of Cincinnati. His 22.9% pass-rush win rate is the second highest among 85 linebackers with at least 20 pass-rush snaps this season.
It’s amazing how well Pace played as an undrafted free agent but he came into the right place with Brian Flores as the defensive coordinator. He knows how to use players with unique skill sets and maximizes them.
Blackmon was drafted in the third round and thrived in the system. He finished third among rookie cornerbacks in coverage grade at 71.7. With the Vikings struggles at the position, hitting on Blackmon was a big win.
The Vikings defense is one step closer to being healthy
The Minnesota Vikings defense are likely to have three key players playing despite being listed as questionable on the injury report.
According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, ILB Jordan Hicks is expected to return to the starting lineup. Joining him in playing will be nose tackle Harrison Phillips and ILB Ivan Pace Jr. are both expected to play despite being questionable on the final injury report.
The Vikings’ defense is primed to have a big game against a Lions offense and having those three in the lineup will be key. They will be without Byron Murphy Jr. who is dealing with a knee injury.
The Vikings tie pressure and coverage together like no other NFL team, and defensive coordinator/mad scientist Brian Flores is the reason.
In the case of the Minnesota Vikings’ defense under Brian Flores, there are some numbers you should know.
The Vikings under Flores in his first year with the team ranked 13th in Defensive DVOA through the first seven weeks of the season. Since then, they rank second in Defensive DVOA behind only the New York Jets.
For the season, the Vikings have by far rushed opposing quarterbacks with three defenders more often than any other defense — they’ve done it 113 times, and the Saints rank second at 59. They’ve also rushed six or more defenders by far the most in the NFL this season — 121 times, and the New England Patriots rank second with 44.
Especially after the relatively “vanilla” schemes put forth in the 2022 season by former defensive coordinator Ed Donatell, Flores’ schemes look like a crazy quilt, and it took a few weeks for everybody to get on the same page. But that’s happened of late, and now, Flores’ defenders are playing his concepts not only with the advantages given when you throw things at quarterbacks they don’t see anywhere else, but with a discipline that makes it all work.
Vikings defensive lineman Harrison Phillips spoke this week with Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network about how things have changed for the better.
How are the #Vikings quietly morphing into a top defense under Brian Flores?
Fascinating answer here from veteran lineman (and Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year nominee) Harrison Phillips on The Insiders.
“I’m glad you mentioned the discipline piece, because I said just after the game (Minnesota’s 3-0 win over the Las Vegas Raiders) when someone said, ‘This isn’t a typical 4-3 downhill attacking defense that you see some of these guys have,’ where it’s one man, one gap,” Phillips said. “Those defenses are really easy to understand. This one is a little more complex, because it’s not vanilla – Harrison, you have the A-gap. You could have the front-side A-gap, the front-side B-gap, the backside A-gap, maybe the backside B-gap. There are gap schemes within that, and oh, you might drop if we get this.
“We have so many different layers to the defense, I think what Coach Flores might have been shocked at himself when he came here… we have a veteran defense at a lot of the key positions. We’re able to get more complex and get two or three calls when the offense checks at the line of scrimmage, we can get into our second call. When they think we’re in a max look, we can go to another call. Being able to trust us and see the mental capabilities we have as a defense has allowed us to get deeper and deeper as we go on in the season and we get more reps. Guys are all getting on the same page, and there’s better communication. That’s another huge word when you talk about this defense.
“The success we’re having goes back to that discipline and that communication.”
The Vikings’ sack of Raiders quarterback Aidan O’Connell with 8:46 left in the first quarter was a great example of how Flores ties pressure to coverage, and how enemy quarterbacks can be placed out of their elements very quickly. Pre-snap, this looked like a seven-man pressure on second-and-18, but watch how the Vikings turn this into an effective four-man rush, accentuated by the subtle post-snap switches that took O’Connell’s options away. Pre-snap, it could have been a Cover-0 blitz (a Flores staple for years), but it turned into Cover-2, and that’s a lot for a young quarterback to take in.
Here’s another long-yardage situation that turned in the Vikings’ favor. In Week 7, the San Francisco 49ers had second-and-13 with 12:16 left in the third quarter, and Minnesota had a three-man rush with seven defensive backs. Again, the picture pre-snap and post-snap was very different. Linebacker Jordan Hicks and safety Theo Jackson could have blitzed, but they dropped into coverage along with safety Josh Martellus, muddying Brock Purdy’s underneath reads.
The Vikings beat San Francisco’s five-man protection with some cool pass-rush ideas, from Patrick Jones II’s pre-snap shuttle to either side of 49ers center Jake Brendel to Jones’ stunt with edge-rusher Danielle Hunter. Purdy didn’t have time to diagnose what the Vikings were doing to him before he hit the turf.
The Vikings also have an unusual situation in that Ivan Pace Jr. — an undrafted rookie from Cincinnati — is running Flores’ defense on the field. That’s a lot to keep in your head, but Pace was the closer in that Raiders game, flying across the field to jump O’Connell’s quick slant to Davante Adams.
“I think that’s what’s making them play at the level they are right now – it’s just consistent [with] the mix and match between keeping people off balance, using our playmakers at different positions to allow them to thrive in multiple roles,” Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell said this week of his defense. “Using a guy like Byron Murphy to maybe match in coverage sometimes; other times, maybe just play his standard stop. Josh Metellus, Harrison Smith, Cam Bynum at the safety position. A guy like Mekhi Blackmon steps in and gives us some really good snaps.
“And then I.P. [Pace], you know, running the show as the green dot. His ability to just continue to improve. I think [inside linebackers coach] Mike Siravo deserves a ton of credit for the development of an undrafted, free agent rookie that we’re really lucky to have and, quite honestly, don’t know where we would be without him. But once again, just a credit to Flo, his staff, our players for the consistency at which they’ve been able to continue to communicate, execute and ultimately finish.”
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – DECEMBER 10: Ivan Pace Jr. #40 of the Minnesota Vikings celebrates with teammates after making an interception during the fourth quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on December 10, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Steve Marcus/Getty Images)
On Saturday, the Cincinnati Bengals and quarterback Jake Browning will be the nest to try and solve all of Flores’ puzzles. Right now, no defense is tying pressure and coverage together better in most interesting ways. In this week’s “Xs and Os with Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar,” the guys got deeper into it.
From Nick Mullens and Ty Chandler starting their first games as Vikings to Ivan Pace Jr., these are the storylines to watch in week 15
In a battle of 7-6 teams, the Minnesota Vikings are set to take on the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday afternoon. The last time the Vikings played on Saturday afternoon was also in week 15. They beat the Indianapolis Colts 39-36 in overtime, setting a record for the largest comeback (33 points) in NFL history.
The Vikings don’t have the greatest history against the Bengals. The series is tied 7-7 but the Vikings are only 1-7 in games played in Cincinnati. Their only win in Cincinnati came in 1992 where they won by a score of 42-7.
Heading into Saturday’s game, our staff took a look at four different storylines to watch for.
In this week’s “Xs and Os with Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar,” the guys get into Week 15’s most important NFL matchups.
It’s time for Week 15 of the 2023 NFL season, and Greg Cosell of NFL Films and ESPN’s NFL Matchup, and Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire and the USA Today Sports Media Group, are here to get you ready for the most important games and interesting matchups:
Minnesota Vikings at Cincinnati Bengals — How Zac Taylor and his staff have made things easier for Jake Browning, and how Brian Flores’ defense can make life much more difficult.
Chicago Bears at Cleveland Browns — The trade acquisition and under-the-radar consultant who could be the keys to the Bears’ defensive improvement.
Dallas Cowboys at Buffalo Bills — Buffalo offensive coordinator Joe Brady has a great new wrinkle, but can the Bills’ defense hang with Dak Prescott and all his targets?
Baltimore Ravens at Jacksonville Jaguars — The Jags have been underperforming on offense and defense of late, which makes it a bad time to have to deal with the Ravens.
Philadelphia Eagles at Seattle Seahawks — The keys to Pete Carroll’s unhappiness with his defense, and why the Eagles had better get things together before they travel to the Emerald City.
From Jaren Hall not getting a look to the success of Ivan Pace Jr. and naming the Minnesota Vikings defense, Judd Zulgad looks at it all
The Minnesota Vikings will be starting their fourth quarterback of the season on Saturday in Cincinnati as their roller-coaster year continues, along with the pursuit of a playoff berth.
Here are four observations ranging from the Vikings’ decision to start Nick Mullens at quarterback to Kirk Cousins’ potential for a second career.
