The Minnesota Vikings had an average defense in 2023 after it was one of the worst units in 2022. Did they fall down the rankings after some massive changes to the unit this offseason?
Bleacher Report's scouting department ranked all 32 NFL defenses after the NFL Draft and they ranked the Vikings 18th in the league, which is very respectable considering their talent deficiencies on the defensive line.
Here is what they said about the Vikings:
Why They're Ranked Here
The Vikings might not have a perfect defense but they have a strong identity. Defensive coordinator Brian Flores is going to bring the pressure to opposing offenses and force them to deal with a wide variety of looks and packages.
His first year brought mixed results, but the Vikings have done things in the offseason to give him better players to work with. Danielle Hunter will be missed, but Jonathan Greenard is younger and will replace a good portion of his production. Dallas Turner is a hand-in-glove fit with this scheme and signing Andrew Van Ginkel gives them a blitzer with experience in Flores' system
The strong identity is a perfect description of the Vikings' defense. The identity is being both versatile and aggressive and the additions of Van Ginkel, Greenard and Turner emphasize just that, but especially Turner with his insane movement skills.
Mixed results is a good way to phrase what happened in the 2023 season, especially with how things fell off a cliff in December. No Hunter does hurt, but Greenard is arguably a better fit with his quick get-off on the ball.
The secondary is going to be the biggest X-factor for the Vikings' defense. It's a young group outside of Harrison Smith, but there is a lot of talent. If they can figure things out and stay consistent, they could take a major step forward.
