Four Minnesota Vikings make Pete Prisco’s Top 100 for 2018

The NFL Network Top 100 list is continuing this evening, but no new members of the Minnesota Vikings were added to the list, so we’ll have to see if anyone else adds their name to the list of the six Vikings that have already made the list.

Fear not, though. . .if you need a Top 100 fix, we’re getting one from a slightly different source. Pete Prisco of CBS Sports has put together his Top 100 players for 2018, and there is no shortage of purple on the list, as four members of the Vikings crack the list. The Jacksonville Jaguars led the list with eight players, while the Los Angeles Rams were just behind them with seven.

The highest-ranking Viking, as you’d probably expect, is safety Harrison Smith, who checks in at #16.

He is a playmaking safety who can do it all, rush, cover and play the run. His versatility is perfect for the modern NFL.

I’m pretty sure I’ve said this in this space before, but Harrison Smith is the key to the entire Minnesota defense. He should have gotten some steam for the Defensive Player of the Year Award last season, but unfortunately didn’t get any.

Not far behind Smith is his running mate in the Minnesota secondary, cornerback Xavier Rhodes. Rhodes comes in at #27 on Prisco’s list.

He is an elite cover corner who plays on one of the best defenses. Rhodes is just now getting to his peak.

If Rhodes is just now reaching his peak, then opposing defenses should probably be pretty afraid going forward.

The other two Vikings that have made it are much closer to the bottom of the Top 100. Wide receiver Adam Thielen is on the list at #92.

He was fifth in the league in receiving yards with 1,276 on his 91 catches last season for an average of 14.0 per catch.

Meanwhile, another member of the Vikings’ vaunted defense, defensive end Everson Griffen, is on the list at #98.

All he does is continue to pressure the quarterback. He had 13 sacks last season for the Vikings.

Three members of the Vikings also made Prisco’s “Just Missed” list. They are wide receiver Stefon Diggs, quarterback Kirk Cousins, and defensive tackle Linval Joseph.

If you look at the seven Vikings’ players that Prisco names between his Top 100 and his “Just Missed” list, all of them have made the NFL Network Top 100 with the exception of Griffen. I’m not sure if Griffen is going to crack the Top 20 on the NFL Network list, but you’d think that he deserves a spot on the list somewhere, right?

In any event, Prisco has recognized that the Vikings have a significant amount of talent on the roster. Hopefully we’ll see even more names when Prisco does his Top 100 for 2019 at around this time next season.