The NFL Top 100 started earlier this week with Eric Kendricks being the first Viking to make the list at 83. On Monday night, they continued to release the names of the players listed all the way down to 41. Two more Vikings made the list, with a few more names that should probably crack the top-100 as the show continues.
The first Viking announced in part two of the countdown was safety Harrison Smith. Smith has continued to show how valuable of a player he can be in Mike Zimmer’s defense. He finished 2019 with 85 tackles, three interceptions and a sack.
Although the stats don’t jump out like they have in years past, Smith has still proven to be one of the key pieces in the Vikings defense. Opposing teams need to gameplan around Smith, who plays alongside the number one rated PFF safety.
The combination of Smith with Anthony Harris should have Vikings fans excited, and it’s a pairing that’s needed with how young the cornerback room is in front of them.
The next player for the Vikings to be announced was the “you like that” man himself, Kirk Cousins. The Vikings quarterback had one of the best seasons of his career, including his first career playoff victory. Cousins ranked as the 58th vest player in 2019.
Cousins threw for 3,603 yards, 26 touchdowns, six interceptions and had a rating of 107.4 in 2019. It was the first season since 2014 where Cousins didn’t throw for over 4,000 yards but he didn’t play in the week 17 matchup since the Vikings were already slated in as a wild card team.
The disrespect is still out there for Cousins, but it looks as if he is starting to get some much-earned acknowledgement from his peers across the NFL. He has been the best quarterback the Vikings have had in the last decade, and that should continue as he will be staying in a similar offense for the first time in years.
Both Cousins and Smith deserve to be on this list and it’s likely they will see a couple more of their teammates crack the top-100 as well. Danielle Hunter and Dalvin Cook are both likely to make the list, and it will be interesting to see if Adam Thielen can make it even though he played in under ten games in 2019.
For the full list of the NFL Top 100, visit https://www.nfl.com/network/shows/nfl-top-100.