Minnesota Vikings: 5 Players who could earn first Pro Bowl nod
By Joe Kipp
The Minnesota Vikings have had numerous players named to the Pro Bowl in recent years. Here are five names on the verge of making it to their first.
Being named to the Pro Bowl — for some players, it’s a lifelong dream, while for others it’s looked at as a vacation to Orlando, Florida (and what used to be Hawaii). Some players even go as far as forfeiting a spot on the roster to avoid injury in a seemingly meaningless game.
This was the case for the Minnesota Vikings, who had seven players named to the Pro Bowl last season. Adam Thielen, Kyle Rudolph, Everson Griffen, Anthony Barr, Linval Joseph, Xavier Rhodes and Harrison Smith all got the nod to play in the NFL’s annual all-star exhibition game. However, Griffen and Barr elected not to participate.
Since the start of the decade, the Vikings have had 16 total players named to the Pro Bowl at least once. Boasting one of the deepest rosters in the league, the team could easily have one or two new faces headed to their first in 2018.
Of course, the Vikings would probably rather not have players participating in the Pro Bowl, but instead resting up for Super Bowl 53 the week after. Regardless, here are five players who could be named to their first Pro Bowl in 2018.
5. Pat Elflein, Center
Coming in at No. 5 is one of the best draft picks the Vikings have had in the past couple seasons. Pat Elflein will easily challenge to be the best offensive lineman on the roster, and possibly even one of the top centers in the league.
A third-round pick in last year’s draft, Elflein had a stellar rookie campaign. That’s without even factoring into account that he had not played center until his senior season at Ohio State. Due to his vast experience in college, Elflein was largely considered one of the safest picks in the draft. When he starting falling in the third-round, Minnesota didn’t hesitate to trade up to 70th overall to select him.
Elflein started 14 games in 2017, and would have started all season had a nagging shoulder injury not kept him out of two games. Despite that, he was still named to the Pro Football Writers of America’s All-Rookie Team. It would not be a surprise if Elflein took a step forward in year two and became a much more popular name amongst the general population.