Who's the most underrated Viking? Every pitch for the honor has a catch

There was time to kill in the Vikings locker room Thursday afternoon when two players, one on offense and one on defense, were approached to see if their choice for "Most Underrated Viking" would match the one yours truly has in mind.

"Wow," said linebacker Jordan Hicks, looking around at nameplates as he did a quick inventory of unheralded teammates. "Most underrated Minnesota Viking. Hmm. That's a tough one."

OK, how about Most Overrated Viking?

"Oh, no, no, no," he said. "Not going there."

Hicks turned to his right and spotted a short cornerback the lowly Bears gave up on in August and the Vikings signed to their practice squad in September.

"Duke Shelley!" Hicks said. "I like Duke Shelley. Came in with a swagger I like. Played bigger than he is tall."

Not bad. Injuries forced Shelley to play three snaps at cornerback in the NFL's Game of the Season, a 33-30 overtime win at Buffalo. He used one of those snaps in overtime to break up a touchdown pass to a tight end seven inches taller than him. Patrick Peterson's game-ending interception came one play later.

Shelley is a great pick. Just not this reporter's choice.

Next up: K.J. Osborn, receiver.

"Dang," said a stumped Osborn. "Can I give you two?"

Sure.

"I really love Josh Metellus and I really love Cam Bynum," Osborn said. "Josh, what he does on special teams and his impact in the locker room, he had plenty of votes to be team captain.

"And Cam really plays at a high level ever since he got called in to start [at safety]."

Good choices. But, sorry, K.J. Your pick does not match the one this fella has in mind, which is …

K.J. Osborn.

"I thought about it," Osborn said. "But I didn't want to say myself."

Perhaps it's the jersey number (17) and position. The last time this idea was used, the person this reporter had in mind was Jarius Wright, a No. 3 receiver who wore No. 17.

"I just met Jarius at the game on Sunday," Osborn said. "Good dude. We exchanged numbers."

Wright was in town to sound the Gjallarhorn before the Jets game at U.S. Bank Stadium. Afterward, Osborn had a Jarius-type game. Two touches, 17 yards and absolutely zero fantasy football fame.

However, when Kirk Cousins needed to convert fourth-and-2 from midfield and Justin Jefferson was being doubled by a linebacker taking away the quick slant, guess who Cousins went to instead of the hottest player on the planet.

K.J. Osborn.

"They left me one-on-one with Sauce," Osborn said.

That's Sauce Gardner, the fourth overall pick in this year's draft.

"I really sold the vertical route, and he laid off," Osborn said. "I was able to pull up, and Kirk made a good throw."

Pitch-and-catch. Seven yards. First down. Vikings go on to score a touchdown.

The other touch Osborn had was a 10-yard reception on third-and-7 from the Jets 40. The Vikings went on to kick a field goal to lead 20-3 in a game they won 27-22.

Sunday, Osborn returns to his native Michigan to play the Lions. The last time these NFC North teams met, Osborn had three touches for 15 yards through the first 59 minutes. Then he had two touches for 58 yards and the game-winning touchdown in the final minute.

"I can't say it's easy because sometimes it's like a basketball player when you haven't shot the ball the whole game," Osborn said. "I don't know why, but a lot of times the only opportunities I get, it's fourth down or a game-winner or something huge like that. It's a mental thing that you just have to tell yourself to stay ready."

In their past five games, the Vikings are 4-1 against teams with a combined record of 38-22-1. Osborn had only 11 touches in those games. Yet he converted three third-down situations, second behind Jefferson and T.J. Hockenson, and a team-high two fourth downs.

"I can't vote for an offensive guy for Most Underrated Viking," Hicks joked. "But K.J. Osborn? That's a good one."