Vikings former top pick considered among most underrated players

The Minnesota Vikings‘ defense is poised to be a monster once again in 2026, just as it was in 2025. One way they plan to achieve that is by remaining aggressive, pressuring the quarterback, and forcing bad decisions that lead to turnovers.

One of the ways defensive coordinator Brian Flores has kept this Vikings team aggressive is by how they get after the quarterback. One of the pieces that they are going to lean on in 2026 is Dallas Turner, who Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay recently highlighted as one of the more underrated players in the league.

Kay writes, “Turner struggled to grasp the defensive coordinator Brian Flores’ system as a rookie and was relegated to a meager 28 percent snap share. After mustering 20 tackles and three sacks across 16 games, he narrowly avoided the dreaded draft bust label but certainly didn’t do enough to warrant the costs of acquiring him. That changed in 2025 when the 23-year-old finally figured things out and dialed in. He received a big bump in playing time (logging a 66 percent snap share on the year) while appearing in all 17 games and starting 10.”

He racked up an impressive 66 tackles, 11 tackles for a loss, eight sacks, and four forced fumbles. With the trading of Jonathan Greenard, he is now the top pass rusher, perhaps second to Andrew Van Ginkel, but he has a chance now for a larger role and larger impact.

So while he is underrated now, he isn’t likely to be by the end of the season.

This article originally appeared on Vikings Wire: Vikings former top pick considered among most underrated players