Everson Griffen Proving To Be a Bargain For Minnesota Vikings
When the Minnesota Vikings lost veteran defensive end Jared Allen to the division-rival Chicago Bears, many Vikings fans questioned whether or not Everson Griffen had the capabilities to be a full-time defensive end in the NFL. Through the first-half of the NFL season, Griffen is starting to look like one of the bargains of free agency.
Through eight games Griffen has been one of, if not the best defensive ends in the NFL from a pass rushing standpoint. Griffen is not only leading the team in sacks (8), but also leads all NFC defensive linemen.
Griffen has also been excellent from an analytical perspective as well. Per Pro Football Focus, Griffen ranks in the top 20 of all 4-3 defensive ends (2.2) and has been an force in the backfield on a consistent basis all year.
Due to his elite athletic ability, many NFL analysts questioned whether or not Griffen had the body type to hold up in the running game due to being slightly undersized. Griffen has put those questions to rest, as PFF ranks Griffen as the 12th best 4-3 defensive end in the NFL from a run defense standpoint.
When Griffen declared for the draft in 2010, many NFL Draft analysts pegged him as a first-round talent. However, Griffen fell to the fourth round of the 2010 NFL Draft due to character concerns about his work-ethic, and the Vikings are now reaping the benefits.
Vikings general manager Rick Spielman deserves a lot of credit in the decision to sign Griffen to a five-year, $42 million extension this offseason, tallying another great decision for the Vikings GM over the last few years.
Compared to highest paid defensive ends in the league, Griffen is looking like a bargain. Making an average annual salary of $8.5 million per season Griffen ranks as the 12th highest paid defensive end in the league, behind players such as Chris Long (St. Louis Rams), Mario Williams (Buffalo Bills) and the Carolina Panthers‘ duo of Charles Johnson and Greg Hardy. All of these players are currently making $10-plus million per season and have not matched the production that Griffen has so far this year.
Griffen is currently on pace for 44 tackles and 16 sacks in his first year as a full-time defensive end, numbers that would rank him in the top five in both categories among defensive ends. If Griffen continues to improve we may start talking about him as one of the best values in all of football.
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