One player who has gone under-the-radar in conversations surrounding the best defensive players in the league has been Vikings linebacker Eric Kendricks.
Maybe we’re starting to see that shift a bit.
Sam Monson over at Pro Football Focus ranked Kendricks as his third-best linebacker heading into the 2021 season.
Here’s what Monson wrote about Kendricks:
Showing there is more than one way to get it done, Eric Kendricks played a more conventional college position than (Fred) Warner but has been the other superstar linebacker in coverage over the past couple of years. Including the playoffs, Kendricks has 17 pass breakups and the highest PFF coverage grade among all linebackers (91.7) over the past two seasons.
Out of the 32 players that Monson ranked, Kendricks was the only Viking on the list.
Kendricks, 29, is due $8.4 million in 2021 which makes him the seventh-highest paid inside linebacker, which certainly seems like a bargain for the Vikings. Kendricks is under contract through the 2023 season.
