From wide receiver Adam Thielen to safety Harrison Smith, there are plenty of Vikings players who garner recognition from fans and experts across the NFL.
However, there are also some key contributors on the Vikings who maybe don’t get the credit that some of the stars do.
This is a list dedicated to those players. Vikings Wire compiled a list of the three unsung heroes on the roster headed into 2020.
Whether it’s thriving on special teams or doing the work that doesn’t always show up on the stat sheet, here are some members of the Vikings who are underrated when it comes to national recognition:
Punter Britton Colquitt
If you don’t notice your punter all that often, sometimes that means they are doing a good job.
In Britton Colquitt’s case, this is definitely true. Colquitt had a career-best 42.6 net yards on a career-low 62 punts during the 2019 regular season, according to the Star Tribune.
His net average ranked him No. 11 among NFL punters last season, per Fox Sports, and three of the punters ahead of him had less than 10 attempts.
Colquitt received a four out of five from the Star Tribune in terms of his performance with the Vikings this past season.
Yet, when the Vikings re-signed him this offseason, I saw Vikings fans complain about how they signed him before kicker Dan Bailey. He’s definitely a player that should get more praise from Vikings fans, despite playing a position that can be thankless.
LB Eric Kendricks
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.
CB Mike Hughes
Hughes might have gone unappreciated in recent seasons, but now he has a chance to become one of the best cornerbacks on the Vikings defense.
In just three starts this past season, Hughes had nine pass deflections and an interception. He also returned kickoffs and punts. Overall he’s shown to be a good, versatile player.
He’s dealt with injuries early in his career, but when he’s on the field, he’s been solid for the Vikings. Here’s to hoping he can stay on the field in 2020 and become a more popular player on a Vikings defense that needs him.
