Who does PFF rank some of the best Vikings defensive players?

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The Minnesota Vikings have found success over the past 20 years when their defense has been at its best. Brett Favre may have highlighted the 2009 season, but the defense still ranked sixth in yards allowed. No one allowed fewer yards than Minnesota in 2017 when they last reached the NFC Championship.

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Recently, PFF constructed its list of the best Vikings defenders of the past 20 years. There was a lot of competition, leaving us with some potentially glaring omissions.

The list is as follows:

The Vikings featured a strong blend of players from different eras on offense, and the same is true on defense. Early PFF-era standouts such as Jared Allen, Kevin Williams and E.J. Henderson are joined by Linval Joseph, Danielle Hunter, Anthony Barr and Eric Kendricks from later years. While Minnesota has fielded several quality front-seven defenders over the past two decades, these selections were relatively straightforward.

The secondary is the strength of this defense, led by Harrison Smith and Antoine Winfield. Both have built résumés worthy of Hall of Fame consideration. Minnesota has not enjoyed the same level of success at cornerback, however. Outside of Winfield, Xavier Rhodes and Everson Griffin earned spots largely because of their longevity, narrowly beating out players such as Captain Munnerlyn and Terence Newman.

Some players who stand out as missing the list are defensive tackle Pat Williams and Griffen. However, it's hard to argue that Williams should be in over Linval Joseph, who was a force and potentially the best defender on the Vikings from 2015 through 2017.

It's also tough to argue for Griffen over Hunter and impossible to put him in over Allen, who accumulated 22 sacks in a 3-13 season in 2011.

What stands out is the lack of current players on the list. Barr returned to the Vikings in 2023 but played sparingly. Hunter left for the Texans in 2024. And Smith may not return for his 15th season in 2026.

The list is a testament to Mike Zimmer and Leslie Frazier, who were able to consistently churn out quality defensive play throughout most of their tenures. Perhaps the Vikings can get more sustained indivdual defensive success in the coming seasons to help Brian Flores' unit reach new heights.

This article originally appeared on Vikings Wire: PFF ranked the best defensive players in Vikings recent memory

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