The last time that Danielle Hunter was on the field for a game it was the 2019 Divisional Playoffs. Everson Griffen was at the other end of the line and either Linval Joseph or Shamar Stephen was next to him. A lot has changed on the Vikings defensive line since that long day in Santa Clara against the San Francisco 49ers. Griffen, Joseph, and Stephen are gone. Hunter didn’t play a snap during the 2020 season due to a “tweaked” neck that ended up being much more than a “tweak.” When he returns to football work he’ll be with a very different defensive line. 2020 free agent addition Michael Pierce and 2021 free agent addition Dalvin Tomlinson will pair to form a stout middle of the line. Hunter, Pierce, and Tomlinson are the certainties of the projected starting defensive line. There will be competition for the defensive end spot opposite Hunter. The top contenders for that spot are currently 2020 fourth-round draft pick D.J. Wonnum and freshly signed, after a year in Carolina, Stephen Weatherly.
The 2021 NFL Draft is sure to add more players to the defensive line group. Until then, the group looks something like this.
Defensive Ends
Danielle Hunter
D.J. Wonnum
Stephen Weatherly
Jalyn Holmes
Kenny Willekes
Jordan Brailford
Defensive Tackles
Dalvin Tomlinson
Michael Pierce
Armon Watts
James Lynch
Hercules Mata’afa
Here’s a March guess at the Vikings 2021 starting defensive line:
RE D.J. Wonnum
DT Dalvin Tomlinson
NT Michael Pierce
LE Danielle Hunter
I have D.J. Wonnum as the leader at right end. He’s drawn comparisons to Hunter since he was drafted in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL Draft out of South Carolina. Both entered the league as long, raw athletes. Both needed molding. Both needed a little time. It’s been hoped since that Wonnum would follow a similar career arc. Hunter had 12.5 sacks and 19 QB hits his second season. It sure would be nice if Wonnum approached that sort of pass rush production in his second season. He’ll face competition for the right end spot from Stephen Weatherly. Kenny Willekes could be a surprise factor in the competition as well. With the work that the Vikings have done this offseason to overhaul the defense, edge rusher has become one of the team’s biggest remaining draft needs. It wouldn’t be a surprise if the position is addressed in the first round. That decision is probably dependent on how the team sees Wonnum and where he is in his development. No matter how the right end competition plays out, the 2021 defensive line group will be so much better than the one that the Vikings were forced to go with for much of the 2020 season. The defensive interior was one of the worst in the league. Some teams were able to run at will. Teams won’t run at will on Pierce and Tomlinson. Those two will form Minnesota’s most formidable run defense since the “Williams Wall.” Pressure from the edge was hit and miss last season. Mostly miss. Yannick Ngakoue played only six games for the Vikings before he was traded to the Baltimore Ravens. His five sacks during his brief time in Minnesota led the team for the entire season. It can be said that the Vikings fielded something resembling a pass rush in 2020 only in the five games that Ngakoue started. The return of Hunter alone will make opposing quarterbacks uncomfortable. Hopefully someone, or some combination of players, will step up opposite Hunter. For a team with such a strong defensive line tradition, the 2020 version was a brutal watch. Based on what the team has done this offseason, the Vikings new defensive line will be a much different, much better watch.
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