Three unsung heroes on the Vikings

The Vikings have a lot of stars, but there are also some key players who don’t always garner accolades and recognition.

LB Eric Kendricks

Photo: Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports

Kendricks is a well-liked player by many Vikings fans, but he doesn’t seem to get accolades on a national scale.

Kendricks was a player who was snubbed from PFF’s list of top-50 NFL players this season.

The linebacker doesn’t always show up in the stat sheet for his performance. Kendricks isn’t a player like Khalil Mack, a linebacker who’s going to get a bunch of sacks.

He’s a linebacker who can stop running backs from getting more than three or four yards. He’s also the kind of player who can get back and cover tight ends, running backs and even wideouts sometimes.

He was given an 88.3 coverage grade from Pro Football Focus. He also ranked first for completion percentage allowed at 54%. It’s strange that Kendricks isn’t heralded as one of the best linebackers in the league, considering he made the Pro Bowl and was named an All-Pro in 2019.