And so they should, considering it's one of the best ones in the National Football League. So, they are ranked pretty highly, but still not as high as I'd like.
Of course, I'm biased, so take that into account.
But, in SB Nation's ranking of the NFL's defensive lines, the Minnesota Vikings come in at number 10.
Jared Allen was the one thing that went right for the Vikings last season, leading the league with 22 sacks. Brian Robison posted eight sacks and consistently pressured quarterbacks in his first season as a starter. Kevin Williams turns 32 in August, but he still plays at a high level. Too bad none of these guys can play cornerback.
(And, yes, I corrected the typo where the author referred to Brian Robison as Brian Robinson. Why? Because. . .well, why not?)
The NFC North is, apparently, home to some pretty good defensive lines, as three of the top twelve teams in these rankings hail from our favorite division. Minnesota is two spots ahead of the Chicago Bears. . .and two spots behind the Detroit Lions. As I mentioned earlier, I'm biased, so naturally I think the Vikings' defensive line should be ahead of Detroit's, but I suppose an argument to the contrary can be made.
As I said in my previous post about Chris Cook, the Vikings' secondary looks to have more talented than they were in 2011, provided they can stay healthy. If the Vikings' defensive line can continue performing at a high level, that will only help the back side of the defense to cover opposing receivers.