Vikings safety Harrison Smith and cornerback Xavier Rhodes were each named on Friday to the First Team All-Pro Team by The Associated Press.
Defensive end Everson Griffen and receiver Adam Thielen were named to the Second Team.
A national panel of 50 media members casts votes for players across the league.
There are two safeties, two cornerbacks, two edge rushers and two receivers named to each All-Pro team.
Smith, who was surprisingly snubbed for the Pro Bowl, received 45 votes for one of two safety positions. The next-closest safety, Kevin Byard of the Titans, received 12 votes.
Smith led the team with five interceptions, tying his single-season career-high. According to Vikings coaches stats, his 12 quarterback hits were the most by a Vikings defensive back and his 10 tackles for loss ranked third on the team. He served as the quarterback of a defense that limited opponents to a 25.2 percent conversion rate on third downs, the best mark since the league began tracking the stat in 1991, and finished as the top scoring and yardage defense in the NFL. It marks the first All-Pro honor of Smith's career.
Rhodes received the second-most votes among cornerbacks (21) behind Jacksonville's Jalen Ramsey (29). The All-Pro teams also now allow for an extra defensive back to be named, and Rhodes received the second-most votes (five), garnering placement on the Second Team as a defensive back.
Rhodes has been the shutdown corner on a defense that has held opponents to a passer rating of 73.0, third best in the NFL. He has now recorded multiple interceptions in back-to-back seasons for the first time in his career and tallied 10 passes defensed and two interceptions, both top-three on the team. All-Pro wide receivers Antonio Brown and Julio Jones were held to seven combined receptions for 86 yards against Rhodes and the Vikings defense. It marks the first All-Pro honor of Rhodes career.
Defensive ends in 4-3 base systems and outside linebackers in 3-4 units are grouped as edge rushers, and Griffen received the third-most votes (17).
Griffen finished the year ranked in the top five in the NFL in sacks and joined Dwight Freeney (2009) and Robert Mathis (2005) as the only players to record a sack in the first eight games of a season. Griffen's 13.0 sacks on the season set a career-high and have helped the Vikings hold opponents to a 208.1 passing yards per game, second best in the NFL. It marks the first All-Pro honor of Griffen's career.
Thielen received the fourth-most votes (three) among receivers behind Pittsburgh's Antonio Brown (50), Houston's DeAndre Hopkins (42) and Atlanta's Julio Jones (five).
Thielen's 1,276 receiving yards on 91 receptions ranked fifth and eighth in the NFL, respectively. He joined Rod Smith and Wes Welker as the only undrafted players to record at least 90 catches and 1,200 receiving yards during the common draft era. The Detroit Lakes, Minnesota native turned in a Top-10 receiving season in Vikings history in both yards and receptions, joining Cris Carter and Randy Moss as the only players in team history to record 90 receptions in a season. It marks the first All-Pro honor of Thielen's career.
Below is a breakdown of the teams (votes received).
The *Associated Press *2017 NFL All-Pro First Team
|
OFFENSE |
Quarterback — Tom Brady, New England (47)
Running Back — Todd Gurley, Los Angeles Rams (46)
Flex — Le'Veon Bell, Pittsburgh (26)
Tight End — Rob Gronkowski, New England (40)
Wide Receivers — Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh (50); DeAndre Hopkins, Houston (42)
Left Tackle — Andrew Whitworth, Los Angeles Rams (24)
Right Tackle — Lane Johnson, Philadelphia (40)
Left Guard — Andrew Norwell, Carolina (11)
Right Guard — David DeCastro, Pittsburgh (32)
Center — Jason Kelce, Philadelphia (18)
|
DEFENSE |
Edge Rushers — Calais Campbell, Jacksonville (34); Cameron Jordan, New Orleans (25)
Interior Linemen — Aaron Donald, Los Angeles Rams (49); Cam Heyward, Pittsburgh (21)
Linebackers — Chandler Jones, Arizona (41); Bobby Wagner, Seattle (40); Luke Kuechly, Carolina (30)
Cornerbacks — Jalen Ramsey, Jacksonville (29); Xavier Rhodes, Minnesota (21)
Safeties —Harrison Smith, Minnesota (45); Kevin Byard, Tennessee (12)
Defensive Back — Darius Slay, Detroit (8)
|
SPECIAL TEAMS |
Placekicker — Greg Zuerlein, Los Angeles Rams (22)
Punter — Johnny Hekker, Los Angeles Rams (30)
Kick Returner — Pharoh Cooper, Los Angeles Rams (42)
Punt Returner — Jamal Agnew, Detroit (40)
Special Teamer — Budda Baker, Arizona (30)
|
SECOND TEAM |
|
OFFENSE |
Quarterback — Carson Wentz, Philadelphia (2)
Running Back — Le'Veon Bell, Pittsburgh (3)
Flex — Alvin Kamara, New Orleans (9)
Tight End — Travis Kelce, Kansas City (10)
Wide Receivers — Julio Jones, Atlanta (5); Adam Thielen, Minnesota (3)
Left Tackle — David Bakhtiari, Green Bay (10)
Right Tackle — Mitchell Schwartz, Kansas City (3) and Daryl Williams, Carolina (3)
Left Guard — Rodger Saffold, Los Angeles Rams (10)
Right Guard — Zach Martin, Dallas (14)
Center — Alex Mack, Atlanta (10)
|
DEFENSE |
Edge Rushers — Everson Griffen, Minnesota (17); Demarcus Lawrence, Dallas (14)
Interior Linemen — Fletcher Cox, Philadelphia (11); Calais Campbell, Jacksonville (10)
Linebackers — Von Miller, Denver (14); C.J. Mosley, Baltimore (5); Telvin Smith, Jacksonville (4)
Cornerbacks — A. J. Bouye, Jacksonville (18); Casey Hayward, Los Angles Chargers (12)
Safeties — Earl Thomas, Seattle (11); Micah Hyde, Buffalo (9)
Defensive Back — Xavier Rhodes, Minnesota (6)
|
SPECIAL TEAMS |
Placekicker — Justin Tucker, Baltimore (15)
Punter — Brett Kern, Tennessee (17)
Kick Returner — Tyler Lockett, Seattle (6)
Punt Returner — Pharoh Cooper, Los Angeles Rams (6)
Special Teamer — Matthew Slater, New England (6)
VIKINGS NAMED AP FIRST TEAM ALL-PRO UNDER MIKE ZIMMER
Adrian Peterson, RB 2015
Cordarrelle Patterson, KR 2016
Xavier Rhodes, CB 2017
Harrison Smith, S 2017
VIKINGS NAMED AP SECOND TEAM ALL-PRO UNDER MIKE ZIMMER
Cordarrelle Patterson, KR 2015
Everson Griffen, DE 2017
Xavier Rhodes, DB 2017
Adam Thielen, WR 2017
