Who is the most underrated Viking of 2024? We counted the votes and the winner is ...

Eighty-three people gave 33 different answers, and nary a one got it wrong as the Minnesota Star Tribune spent the week asking players and fans, "Who is the most underrated Viking and why?"

"That's a great question," said linebacker Blake Cashman, the Minnesota native, ex-Gopher, first-year Viking and official winner among the 54 fan submissions, 8-4 over fullback C.J. Ham.

"You could say a lot of guys have been overlooked as the season has gone along. I mean, if you just went off preseason expectations outside of this building, Sam [Darnold] would be the no-brainer who'd get everyone's vote."

Darnold, however, is 13 victories into a stunning career resurrection that's become one of the NFL's biggest talkers. His recognition and long-shot MVP case will only continue to grow if the Vikings (13-2) sweep the Packers (11-4) at U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday and set up a showdown for the NFC's No. 1 seed at Detroit (13-2) in next week's regular-season finale.

"Yeah, Sam's gotten some love, but not enough, so he's my vote," said cornerback Stephon Gilmore, the only one of 29 players polled to vote for Darnold. Two fans also picked Darnold.

Cashman cast one of the votes that gave tight end Josh Oliver an 8-4 win over defensive tackle Jalen Redmond in the player survey. It also was the deciding vote in Oliver edging Cashman 10-9 in the combined survey.

Running back Aaron Jones was casting his vote for Oliver when Justin Jefferson overheard the conversation. Jefferson laughed when told what the vote was for and how he was being soundly shut out as a superstar who's universally hailed as a generational talent en route to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

"No votes!" Jefferson joked. "That's love from my teammates!"

He then cast the only player vote for linebacker Ivan Pace Jr., who got three votes in the fan survey to tie for third with left tackle Cam Robinson, defensive tackle Harrison Phillips, edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel and safety/linebacker/Swiss Army knife Josh Metellus.

One fan did throw Jefferson a bone. Matt Mauch said Jefferson's "team-first attitude during his production slump" from Weeks 10-12 — which culminated in two catches for 27 yards and no touchdowns in the overtime victory at Chicago — was the team's "underrated moment of the year."

"We've seen the diva act here," Mauch said of the Vikings' history at receiver. "Jefferson was team-first gold, which I think is a reflection of his coach."

Speaking of Kevin O'Connell, fan Dick Engen was the only one of the 83 respondents not to pick a player. He went with the NFL Coach of the Year front-runner "because of K.O.'s ability to develop QBs."

A lot of players were stumped at first when asked for their choice. They paused. They looked around at locker nameplates. Right tackle Brian O'Neill stood completely silent while searching his brain for 45 seconds before picking Oliver.

Receiver Trent Sherfield Sr., who leads the team in special teams tackles with seven, was frozen until yelling, "Bo Richter!" when the undrafted rookie from Air Force walked up. Richter has played 71% of the special teams snaps and had a key fumble recovery in the overtime victory at Chicago.

Asked for his vote, Richter said, "I don't want to say Trent just because he said me, but … give me Trent."

Sherfield got three votes in the player survey, finishing third among 16 players named. One of the three came from safety Harrison Smith, the longest-tenured Vikings player at 13 years, and possibly counting.

"Trent is kind of damn near unblockable on the punt team," Smith said. "He makes a lot of plays flipping the field for us. That goes unnoticed, but it's a big deal. He had one [at Seattle] this past week where he beats a double team and makes the tackle inside the 15."

Smith laughed when told he got one fan vote.

"Why?" he asked. "Because I'm old?"

Receiver Jalen Nailor finished fourth in the player survey with two votes. One came from fellow receiver Brandon Powell. The other came from … Jalen Nailor, a backup who's played 51% of the offensive snaps and has career highs in catches (20), first downs (17) and touchdowns (5).

"Myself," Nailor said. "I just feel like I'm producing at a really good level and kind of overlooked."

Backup running back Cam Akers, the only player to score touchdowns for and against the Vikings this year, thought the same thing when he, too, voted for himself.

"Just making things happen when I get my opps," said Akers, who moved into the key backup role after being acquired by the Vikings via trade for the second time in two years. "That's all this job is."

Players receiving one vote from their teammates (or themselves) were Akers, Powell, Pace, Darnold, Richter, Ham, Cashman, Jones, tight end Johnny Mundt, safety Theo Jackson, defensive tackle Jerry Tillery and cornerback Byron Murphy Jr., who's not exactly under the radar with six interceptions that rank third in the league.

"I don't care," said cornerback Shaq Griffin. "There should be more talk about Murph being All-Pro. I feel like we should be seeing Murph's face everywhere."

Murphy is one of 10 Vikings with an interception and one of 15 with a takeaway.

"It's hard picking just one unsung guy on this team," said safety Cam Bynum, who picked Redmond.

He's right.

The Vikings are 8-0 since using the trade deadline to replace injured left tackle Christian Darrisaw with Robinson. They're 6-0 since benching right guard Ed Ingram and turning to Dalton Risner, who had never played right guard in his life.

When backup linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill filled in for Pace for two games earlier this year, he had an interception on the first play of the victory over Houston and another pick a week later at Green Bay.

Tillery got a game ball with only one assisted tackle on his stat sheet in the Dec. 16 victory over the Bears. Mundt caught his career-high second touchdown in the one-point victory over Arizona on Dec. 1. Brian Asamoah II turned a one-score game into a 21-point blowout with a well-timed forced fumble on kick coverage in the fourth quarter against Atlanta on Dec. 8.

Redmond was an undrafted 2023 rookie who got cut by the worst team in the league (Carolina) before signing with the XFL for a few months. Then the Vikings took a chance on him in June, and now he has six tackles for loss in 21% of the defensive snaps and moved into the starting lineup three weeks ago.

Pat Jones II has seven sacks and three games with multiple sacks. Cashman has career highs in solo tackles (57), snaps (770), sacks (3) and passes defensed (8). And, oh yeah, the Vikings are 12-0 when Cashman plays; 1-2 when he doesn't.

"There's even more to what Cash is doing than people realize," said Van Ginkel, who voted for Cashman. "He's playing the best he's ever played. Just the way he's attacked this scheme, learning and being able to spit it out to other players and then also make the adjustments. It's the best I've ever been around."

Ham also didn't care when he voted for Aaron Jones that the former Packer has gotten his share of recognition since energizing the Vikings' run game after being lowballed and replaced in Green Bay with the younger Josh Jacobs.

"There's attention, but people are still sleeping on what he's doing," Ham said.

Jones heads into Sunday's game against his former team as a 30-year-old who needs four carries, 11 touches, 41 snaps and 59 rushing yards to set career highs in each of those categories.

Oliver, meanwhile, has gained an added level of respect in the locker room this year. With star T.J. Hockenson sidelined for the first seven games, Oliver raised his game. The 6-foot-5, 260-pounder known for his blocking became a valued receiving target with career highs of 242 yards, 12.1 average, three touchdowns and 13 first downs. His 22-yard catch in the first quarter of the season opener at the Giants set up a touchdown, a 7-3 lead and a warning not to overlook him in the passing game.

"Josh does the dirty work, but then he gets a sneaky catch in every once in a while," said long snapper Andrew DePaola. "And you kind of look at him and it's like, 'Whoa!' "

Oliver said he was surprised and honored by the votes he received.

"Respect of your teammates is everything," he said.

One surprising oversight from the locker room was caught by two fans. Of course, it takes a true tortured Vikings fan to recognize just how important a kicker is to winning and losing.

Two astute fans chose Parker Romo, who stepped in for the injured Will Reichard from Weeks 10-13. All Romo did was make seven of eight point-after attempts and 11 of 12 field-goal attempts as the Vikings went 4-0. And if you're looking for yet another underrated player, long snapper Jake McQuaide played those four games while DePaola was on injured reserve.

"Romo made three field goals and two PATs in a one-point win over Arizona; the game-winning field goal in OT against the Bears; and he scored all 12 points in the win at Jacksonville," wrote fan Jeff Pascal.

Mauch, the other fan who voted for Romo, added: "And Romo's already been forgotten, but is key to the 13-2 record. With that Jacksonville victory, the Vikings control their own destiny to being the No. 1 seed with a bye."

Romo's contributions probably won't be entirely forgotten. Just overlooked in a Purple sea of underrated players who all have had a hand in perhaps the most unexpected season in Vikings history.

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