Let’s take a moment to reflect on the awesomeness of Everson Griffen

Given the fact that Minnesota Vikings’ defensive end Everson Griffen wasn’t a full-time starter for the first few seasons of his career (thanks to the sizeable shadow of Jared Allen at the right defensive end spot), there’s a very good chance that Griffen is just getting started in his career as one of the NFL’s premiere pass rushers. But, what makes him so good?

Well, one enterprising YouTube creator took a closer look at Everson Griffen’s game with some highlights from this past season, and you can see that video below.

YouTuber Voch Lombardi has put together a series of “Best Sack Technicians,” and in his latest edition Griffen is the center of attention.

The big takeaway from this video is that Griffen has one of the most ridiculous first steps in the game at the defensive end spot. In the clips shown in the video, he’s almost always the first person off the ball, which obviously gives him a huge advantage. Sure, we see him occasionally jump offsides in his efforts to get off the ball quickly, but that’s becoming more of a rarity, and hopefully that trend will continue in the future.

In addition to that, Griffen is just relentless. Even when it looks like he’s stopped, he’s never really stopped. On plays that get extended, he can use his ridiculous athletic ability to chase down quarterbacks and bring them to the turf.

We know that Everson Griffen is good. . .that’s why the Minnesota Vikings gave him a huge contract extension before he had become a starter, and gave him another huge contract extension before last season to keep him in purple for the foreseeable future. So, if you have some time on this Sunday morning, take a few minutes and check out some Everson Griffen highlights.