Pro Football Focus is ranking every NFL team’s positioning groups from best-to-worst and have released their rankings for running backs and receivers.
It’s important to note that these rankings aren’t about one player in a certain position, but instead are about the unit as a whole. Some teams use a two-headed approach with their running backs, while others use a committee approach.
For the receivers positions, PFF includes wide receivers and tight ends. Here’s where the Vikings stack up among their peers in the NFL
Running Backs-5th
- PFF has Adrian Peterson and Jerrick McKinnon as the fifth best unit in the NFL. Peterson won the NFL rushing title last season but PFF says the Pittsburgh Steelers have the best backs in the league.
- In the report, PFF notes Peterson’s 2.3 yards after contact (per attempt) was the first time he was below 3.0 in his career. The report also projects that McKinnon might start stealing AP’s carries now that he’s had two successful seasons in the NFL.
Receivers-24th
- Although the Vikings have two first-round picks on their roster, it was Stefon Diggs, a fifth-round pick, who was Minnesota’s top receiver last year.
- PFF notes that the Vikings’ top pick from this year’s draft, Laquon Treadwell should compliment Minnesota’s short but effective passing game. Treadwell forced 17 missed tackles on 82 receptions last year at Ole Miss University.
- The rankings also stated that tight end Kyle Rudolph has yet to live up to his potential but at the same time he has dropped just 13 of 199 catchable passes in his career.
The New England Patriots were ranked as the league’s top receiving unit.
