Following my top 5 Vikings on Defense article, this is the turn of the attack. The decisions were even more difficult on this side of the ball, where Minnesota had a charged attack under the watch of head coach Kevin O’Connell.
The Top 5 Vikings about attack in 2025
First, there are the unknown amounts of JJ McCarthy and Donovan Jackson, who hope to consider this year, but without track record to talk about, will not be considered this time. Aaron Jones is a very good veteran who walks back, but does not make it not cut or new center Ryan Kelly.
A player who was very close to making the list was a new right guard Will Fries. Are 86.9 general figure of Pro Football Focus The top 5 was worth the first five games of last season. However, that is a small sample size, because he had never reached those heights before and was demolished by injury. From now on these are my top 5 Vikings in violation.
5. Jordan Addison
In the shadow of Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison went into the competition and became a very good broad recipient – at least on the field. Problems outside the field are a nuisance that the top buyer of the Vikings will hope that he has grown, but on the field it is exceptional in his role as WR2 of the Vikings-a touchdown machine with 20 total touchdowns to his name through just 32 competitions.
A milestone that he still has to reach is a season of 1000 Receives received, which is just short of his first two years in the competition. That should be a target for this season, although the potential for a ban of three games because of the Dui-Covers that still hang over him would make it more difficult.
4. TJ Hockenson
A bit of a forgotten man in the Vikings attack, TJ Hockenson played at the level of a top 3 tight end in the competition after his profession to Minnesota of the Detroit Lions. A torn ACL put him in his spurs and made sure that he missed the end of the 2023 season and the first half of the 2024 season.
When he returned, the Vikings had a new starting QB in Sam Darnold, and Hockenson was not as effective as he had been before the injury. Whether that was part of the process to come back from the injury or he just never built the same chemistry with Darnold he did with Kirk Cousins, I expect more from the Viking this season.
He will have a full preseason to sharpen his skills and build a report with McCarthy. A first 1000 reception season must also be a goal for Hockenson. He would almost certainly have got it in 2023 if the injury had not cut his season two games briefly.
Zero Touchdowns of his 10 games last season felt like a strange deviation that needs to be remedied. Hockenson is too good to draw a blank about so many games, so O’Connell and McCarthy must find a way to get the ball in his hands when the team is in the red zone.
3. Brian O’Neill
Although there has been a lot of change in the attacking line of the Vikings in recent seasons, Brian O’Neill has been a constant to the right tackle. The reason? He is just very good at his work. Since he got the runway in his Rookie season in 2018, O’Neill has been nothing less than reliable, whether it is about creating lanes for walking back or keeping his quarterback in the pocket.
The value of a veteran double pro-bowler to protect your young QB cannot be overlooked. O’Neill can always be excessed in protecting his QB, and we should not expect anything else this season.
2. Christian Darrisaw
There is no player in the selection of Minnesota that I like to look more than Christian Darrisaw. He was born to be an offensive Lineman and makes it look effortlessly when he is at his best. Losing him to a seasonal knee injury in week 7 last season was a huge blow to the Vikings.
Although Cam Robinson did a respectable work at the left tackle, he is simply not the caliber of Darrisaw. Minnesota welcomes him back with a renewed interior in 2025, and I am really looking forward to seeing the Vikings in action. A healthy Darrisaw is in the conversation for the best tackles in the competition. The only thing that has hindered its career so far is his availability, missed by games in all four seasons since he entered the competition.
1. Justin Jefferson
Who else? If you start a conversation about the best players currently playing in the competition, then the name of Jefferson should pop up. He is a BonaFide -Superster who has broken the record after record since he enters the competition. Injury and a QB carousel delayed him somewhat in 2023, but he still led a season of 1000 meters. With more than 1500 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns in 2024, Jefferson was back to dominate, but it felt like there was more left in the tank.
His yards per match fell to 90.2, his lowest figure since his Rookie season, and was considerable in the 106.4 meters of 2022 when he had people believed that he could break the 2000-Yard Mark with 1809 receiving yards. Jefferson will be hungry for another huge season, which would further strengthen his place if the best player of the Vikings would further strengthen.
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