Vikings

Danielle Hunter's Leaning on Veterans to Take the Next Step

Photo Credit: Kyle Hansen

When the Minnesota Vikings selected Danielle Hunter in the third round in 2015, they viewed him as a piece of clay ready to be molded.

So what if his stance wasn’t giving him any leverage? So what if his pass-rushing attempts were often circuitous? Mike Zimmer saw an athletic freak, and he set about transforming him with the help of defensive line coach Andre Patterson.

The efforts have proved fruitful as Hunter has become one of the most efficient pass-rushers in the NFL, a strong, lanky bulldozer who can cut down running plays and use his long arms to interrupt passes.

His 12.5 sacks last year tied for third in the league.

For perspective, had Hunter taken as many snaps as teammate Everson Griffen, who played nearly 86 percent of the defensive snaps, and stayed on the same sack-recording pace, he’d have recorded 18.5 sacks for the season.

Entering the third year of his career, Hunter looks to be embarking on a Griffen-like role as a full-time defensive end, having taken the majority of first-team reps throughout the offseason program as the Vikings invent new roles for incumbent starter Brian Robison.

For Hunter to unseat a 10-year veteran with 56 career sacks is incredible. Even more incredible: that veteran seems to be OK with it.

“[He handled it] probably as good as I have been around,” said head coach Mike Zimmer of Robison’s attitude. “He said he would do anything he could to help this football team. I think he understands that Danielle is a very talented guy.”

He is indeed. Hunter was a clutch performer in pass-rushing situations last year, recording seven of his sacks in third- or fourth-down situations — including a game-clinching sack of Carson Palmer in Week 11 versus Arizona — and his second-down sack of Cam Newton at Carolina resulted in a safety.

It helps that Hunter entered a climate where he was surrounded by talented vets on the defensive line. Robison has been playing since 2007, Griffen since 2010 and Linval Joseph since 2010 as well. Patterson, the coach, has been a defensive line instructor at six colleges and five NFL franchises over a 35-year career.

It’s safe to say the Vikings were the best spot for a raw product like Hunter, who is continually taking strides in the mental part of his game. Now facing the probability of taking around 250 more snaps over the course of the season, he’ll need to stay sharp in the classroom.

“I think he is understanding the game a little more,” said Robison. “When he first came in here, he was kind of a raw talent. It was one of those deals where you knew he had a lot of potential, it was just going to be how quick he could grasp the game, but he is a smart kid. He takes notes every day. He goes in there, and you can definitely tell he is applying it on the field.”

According to Zimmer, Robison has been a “stand-up” guy in the meeting room with Hunter despite coming off a strong year himself and being 12 years Hunter’s senior. In fact, when Robison was drafted in the fourth round out of Texas the day after his 24th birthday, he was twice Hunter’s age.

But in a league where players are constantly looking over their shoulder trying to ward off young challengers, Robison has displayed admirable self-awareness in the past year, accepting a pseudo demotion with aplomb and already setting the table for a possible retirement after his contract expires following the 2018 season. He wants to make sure he leaves the defensive end spot in better shape than when he found it.

“He’s a great teammate,” said Hunter. “Since the first day he came in here, I know he was the oldest guy, and I always wondered how he lasted so long in the league, so every day I look at B-Rob and see what he does, watch his technique and see what he uses and how his career is this long. He’s the main one I gain the most information from since I’ve been here.”

The man on the other side, Griffen, won’t be hanging up the cleats anytime soon. But he wishes he’d have gotten out of the gates as quickly as Hunter, the man he hopes to terrorize quarterbacks with this season.

“It took me a lot longer,” said Griffen.

Griffen will turn 30 this season, just his fourth as a full-time starter. Like Hunter, he began as a pass-rushing specialist, in his case behind Jared Allen, who finished with 136 sacks in his career. Griffen will have a hard time reaching 100 sacks considering he started in the NFL at age 23 and didn’t record his 20th sack until age 27. Hunter, on the other hand, needs just 1.5 sacks to reach the 20 plateau, and he doesn’t turn 23 until Oct. 29.

“The big thing is he’s coachable,” said Griffen, who dealt with some off-the-field issues that jeopardized his early career. “I always tell him, ‘When I was 22 years old, I wish I was that mature and that coachable.’ But you know, everybody’s path is different.

“He’s taking the right path.”


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Photo Credit: Kyle Hansen

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