Minnesota’s defense is almost complete. The unit struggled to get off the field in 2020, but with the Vikings signing players like Patrick Peterson, Dalvin Tomlinson and others, the group should be more competitive in 2021.
The team’s recent signing, Sheldon Richardson, should add a lot to the defensive line. Richardson should help the pass rush, but it bears repeating: there is no stellar defensive end opposite Danielle Hunter.
Stephen Weatherly had 0 sacks in nine games for the Panthers last season. He tallied a PFF grade of 53.7. He rejoined his former team in the Vikings this offseason, but Minnesota can’t count on him to be a starter. The team can’t count on D.J. Wonnum, either.
Wonnum had three sacks in 14 games played (471 snaps) in 2020. Conventional wisdom would tell you that if Wonnum played something like 700 snaps, he could maybe land in the 5-7 sack range. But you have to consider that people thought Ifeadi Odenigbo would take a big leap for that same reason (decent production in a limited role) and that did not pan out.
Patrick Jones II and Janarius Robinson weren’t considered top prospects for a reason — the two have some things to work on in order to become starting-caliber NFL players. It would be great if Jones II became the next Hunter, but a third-round pick like Hunter becoming an elite edge rusher is a rare occurrence.
As of now, the defensive end spot opposite Hunter is a big question mark. I wouldn’t be surprised if Weatherly or Wonnum started and only finished with like four or five sacks. That lack of production might affect Hunter, because teams would be able to contribute more attention to him in the pass rush. Also, Hunter is coming off a neck injury, so it’s not a given he will be back to his normal self from 2018 and 2019.
I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: that defensive end spot is an important spot on the defense. This Minnesota defense is pretty complete on paper. If the team can fill that void at edge rusher, they will be even better.
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