We’re deep into the offseason, folks, and with training camp still a couple of months away, much of the conversation will revolve around the opinions and rankings of others, especially when it comes to the Minnesota Vikings. Recently, we came across something from a well-known analysis site that left us scratching our heads.
Pro Football Focus (PFF) recently released their “All-PFF” team, which they dub “The NFL’s Best Players of the Past 25 Years.” Now, if I told you only one Viking made the cut, even as an honorable mention, who would you think it was?
Would it be Adrian Peterson? Nope.
How about Jared Allen? No, not him either.
What about Harrison Smith? Try again.
You’d probably guess Randy Moss, right? Well, it’s not him either.
The lone Viking to make the prestigious list of the NFL’s top players from the past quarter-century is… Antoine Winfield.
Winfield’s NFL career began in 1999, and despite his final years falling outside of PFF’s grading era, he still ranks among the top players of all time. He was consistently one of the top 10 highest-graded cornerbacks for five out of his seven PFF-graded seasons and even earned the highest grade at his position three times between 2006 and 2012.
What makes Winfield stand out is his unmatched run-defense skills. He holds the highest PFF run-defense grade (94.7) of any cornerback since 2006 and ranks second all-time in run defense stops (107) among cornerbacks. His 2.47-yard average depth of tackle is the best among qualifiers in that same period.
As a huge fan of Winfield, I’m thrilled to see him recognized on this list, but the overall lineup raises some questions, particularly when it comes to Randy Moss’ exclusion.
To say it’s baffling that Moss isn’t even an honorable mention is an understatement. Moss was a first-ballot Hall of Famer, which alone should’ve earned him a spot on this list of the best players of the last 25 years. Yet, because this list is based on PFF grades, he’s left off entirely. Instead, we have Julio Jones, Antonio Brown, and Tyreek Hill as the three wide receivers, with Calvin Johnson getting an honorable mention.
Let’s be clear: Calvin Johnson was a fantastic receiver, but Moss was better—and should be ahead of him on any ranking like this. Similarly, while Jones, Brown, and Hill have all had impressive careers, none of them match the impact Moss had.
As we often say when referencing Pro Football Focus, their data is useful, but not infallible. If your grading system doesn’t include Randy Moss as one of the best wide receivers of the past 25 years, it’s time to take a step back and reconsider how you’re evaluating players.
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