3. Danielle Hunter
One player that will have to step up and continue to perform well for the Minnesota Vikings during the 2020 NFL season is defensive end Danielle Hunter. Over the course of the last few seasons, Hunter has been a staple within the Vikings defense and has emerged as the top edge rusher on the team since breaking into the league a handful of seasons ago.
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Since emerging in the NFL as a third-round draft pick by Minnesota during the 2015 NFL Draft, Hunter has taken steps in the right direction every season throughout his five-year tenure as a professional.
While initially being in the shadows of former Vikings defensive ends Brian Robison and Everson Griffen early on in his career, Hunter is now the primary edge rusher for the purple and gold and that will continue to be the case once again this year.
After Robison departed a few years ago, Hunter stepped up to pair well alongside Griffen on the defensive line while getting to the opposing quarterback often throughout the season. Now with Everson reportedly leaving the franchise this offseason leading up to the new year, it appears as though Hunter will be the primary threat at his position this year and beyond.
Hunter has become one of the top defensive ends in the NFC and the league as a whole, while being a reliable player for Mike Zimmer and company having played in 78 of possible 80 games in his career. In 2019, Hunter finished the season with three forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, a career-high-tying 14.5 sacks and a total of 70 tackles, 15 of which were tackles for loss.
If there is one player Minnesota will lean on and look towards as a leader on defense in 2020, Hunter is going to be that player. And with some turnover on the defensive line this offseason, Hunter is poised for another dominant year this season.