Vikings outside linebacker Danielle Hunter and long snapper Andrew DePaola have been selected to the 2024 Pro Bowl Games, the NFL announced on Wednesday. Both players were voted in as NFC starters via a process that gives equal weight to each of three groups: players, coaches, and fans.
It's the fourth career Pro Bowl nod for Hunter, who has 15.5 sacks, 21 total tackles for loss, and four forced fumbles this season in a contract year. DePaola has made it for the second year in a row.
Additionally, six Vikings have been named as alternates, meaning they could get in if a player opts out due to something like an injury or Super Bowl participation. These are the six, with their position in the alternate queue:
- FB C.J. Ham (first alternate)
- TE T.J. Hockenson (first)*
- S Josh Metellus (second)
- C Garrett Bradbury (third)
- T Christian Darrisaw (fourth)
- S Harrison Smith (fourth)
* Hockenson is out for the season with a torn ACL and MCL, so he won't be participating in the Pro Bowl despite having an outstanding year.
The Vikings had seven players made the Pro Bowl last season, when they won 13 games and the NFC North title. This year, it's possible they'll have just two.
It's pretty shocking to see Darrisaw as a fourth alternate at tackle, given the kind of season he's had this year. Even after a subpar game against the Packers, he still has the fourth-highest PFF grade among all offensive tackles in the league. This voting has him as the seventh-best tackle in the NFC alone, trailing the three selected players and top three alternates. That just doesn't make much sense.
Ham has a chance to make his second career Pro Bowl thanks to the position he plays, even though he's only played 199 offensive snaps through 16 games. If Kyle Juszczyk and the 49ers go the Super Bowl, Ham will be in.
It would be very cool to see Metellus make it as a reward for his incredibly versatile and productive breakout season. He led all players in fan voting at strong safety, but he'll need a couple opt-outs to get in.
Two players who should've arguably at least been alternates are Camryn Bynum (who has had a better season than Smith) and Brian O'Neill (ditto with Bradbury, but at a more competitive position). Kirk Cousins and Justin Jefferson would've undoubtedly made it had they not gotten hurt.
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