Minnesota Vikings earn high marks from analyst ranking skill position groups
Bill Barnwell of ESPN ranked all 32 groups of skill positions in the league, including wide receivers, tight ends, and running backs. Receivers were weighted more heavily than running backs and tight ends for this exercise. Injuries and suspensions also impacted the ranking.
Ultimately, Barnwell ranked the Vikings' group 6th in the league. That's one spot lower than their ranking heading into last season. He cites questions about Jordan Addison's potential suspension and T.J. Hockenson's continued recovery from the ACL injury he suffered in December 2023.
The players around [Jefferson] might not be as sturdy as they seemed a year ago. Jordan Addison averaged 1.8 yards per route run in his second season, but there's a distinct possibility the 23-year-old will be suspended for part of the 2025 season after he's tried on DUI charges this month. T.J. Hockenson is healthy after missing part of the 2024 season while recovering from a torn ACL, but the former Lions first-rounder didn't score a touchdown and saw his efficiency retreat to where it had been with Detroit (1.7 YPRR) versus where it stood in Minnesota before the injury in 2023 (2.0). That's the difference between a good tight end and a Pro Bowler, and although that could be variance, I'd like to see that 2023 version of Hockenson again.
The addition of Jordan Mason should ease Aaron Jones' workload, Barnwell says. However, he goes on to say that he thinks Jones can be more efficient in 2025 and that Mason needs to prove he wasn't just a product of the Kyle Shanahan system in San Francisco.
These are fair criticisms and are the reason the Vikings are sitting outside the top five on this list. It will come down to McCarthy to get everyone involved and have the offense continue to be explosive, regardless of circumstances.
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