Vikings mailbag: Danielle Hunter's trade value, Alexander Mattison's potential, young players to watch, and more

Thank you for submitting questions for this week's Vikings mailbag. You can always send questions to @Andrew_Krammer on Twitter or andrew.krammer@startribune.com. Listen for answers on the "Access Vikings" podcast or find them right here. Let's get to it.

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Q: What is the most realistic trade haul the Vikings can get for Danielle Hunter (in your opinion)? — @nick_cowherd_

AK: Hunter is officially a holdout for the first time after not reporting to mandatory minicamp this week. Upon being hired last year, General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said he wanted to re-sign Hunter to a long-term deal. But the team quickly explored trading him when negotiations stalled. The same predicament remains after Hunter's 10½-sack season. His contract is expiring next spring, and carries a below-market $4.9 million salary this season (he pocketed $20 million last year). The Vikings, like all NFL teams under a collective bargaining agreement that mandates $50,000 daily fines for missing training camp, hold the leverage. But perhaps the right offer can lead to a fresh start away from Minnesota, where money has been a sticking point since 2020.

A team acquiring Hunter also acquires the negotiations, because he wants a new deal. So did ex-Broncos edge rusher Bradley Chubb. Last fall, the Dolphins sent a first-round pick to Denver for Chubb and the right to pay him a five-year, $110 million deal. Chubb, 26, is in the prime of his career. As was edge rusher Yannick Ngakoue when ex-Vikings GM Rick Spielman sent a second-round pick to Jacksonville in August 2020.

A year ago, edge rusher Khalil Mack — then 31 years old — netted the Chargers' second- and sixth-round picks in a trade for the Bears. Mack is one of the few NFL pass rushers with a better track record than Hunter (when healthy).

There's no denying Hunter's talent. He has been a lauded teammate since arriving in 2015. He has been named to the Pro Bowl each of the last three full seasons he's played — 2018, 2019 and 2022. But the two-year gap, due to neck and chest injuries, took a chunk out of his prime. He will be 29 in October. Bridging the financial gap with Hunter (which the Vikings have not been able to do) will be key to another NFL team's pursuit. And based on recent trades, a second-round pick seems like the best possible value for Hunter at this stage of his career.

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Q: I was hoping the Vikings and Dalvin Cook could agree to a new deal. Can Alexander Mattison give the Vikings a better run game? — Andre

AK: Vikings coaches from Mike Zimmer to Kevin O'Connell labeled Mattison as a "1B" option to Cook, the former "1A" starter who was released last week in a long-anticipated move to clear salary cap space. After Cook's fourth straight 1,000-yard rushing season, the Vikings will finally test Mattison's lead-back ability. Mattison lacks Cook's home-run speed, but he was more elusive (with fewer carries) in 2022. According to Pro Football Focus, Mattison averaged a broken tackle on 31% of his carries; Cook's rate fell to 18.6%, marking a continued decline (down from 18.8% in 2021 and 21.8% in 2020). The Vikings aren't a run-heavy offense under O'Connell, but they're betting Mattison will get the yardage needed to keep their passing attack in favorable downs and distances.

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Q: This roster has turned over a lot, but do you see anybody already setting up as a surprise cut later this summer? — @javie_jones

AK: Adofo-Mensah turned over many rocks for cap space. Safety Harrison Smith and linebacker Jordan Hicks were prominent players accepting pay cuts, but so did defensive tackle Ross Blacklock and guard Chris Reed. Blacklock and Reed are among veterans on the roster bubble. Keep an eye on the interior D-line competition, where Adofo-Mensah kept six players on the initial 53-man roster last year. The Vikings currently roster Harrison Phillips, Khyiris Tonga, Dean Lowry, Jonathan Bullard, Blacklock, James Lynch, Esezi Otomewo and fifth-round rookie Jaquelin Roy out of LSU. The team brought in competition for kicker Greg Joseph, but the commitment to undrafted Georgia kicker Jack Podlesny was just $15,000 guaranteed; Joseph got $1.7 million guaranteed on a one-year deal, and had a solid spring. Third-year running back Kene Nwangwu is a dynamic returner, and the NFL keeps minimizing that. The league further incentivized fewer kickoff returns by allowing fair catches as touchbacks this season. Nwangwu has played just 47 snaps on offense in two years, and the team drafted seventh-round back DeWayne McBride.

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Q: Which young players are trending upward heading into training camp? – Hunter

AK: Fourth-year safety Josh Metellus appears in line for a consistent role as a fifth or sixth defensive back under coordinator Brian Flores. Metellus, a 2020 sixth-round pick, aligned at deep safety, slot defender and in a linebacker-type role when six defensive backs took the field during spring practices. Training camp and preseason reps will sort out whether Metellus — or 2022 first-round safety Lewis Cine or rookie cornerback Mekhi Blackmon — land roles on defense. Coaches also spoke highly of two second-year players: running back Ty Chandler and cornerback Akayleb Evans, who took first-team reps opposite Byron Murphy Jr. this spring. Both Chandler and Evans have clear paths to more playing time.

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Q: Where are they getting pass rush from in 2023? – Jackson

AK: This time around, the Vikings are expected to send more than a four-man rush, which former coordinator Ed Donatell relied upon heavily during a tumultuous 2022 season. Za'Darius Smith is gone, traded to Cleveland. Marcus Davenport, the ex-Saints pass rusher, replaces Smith on a one-year deal. Hunter remains unhappy with his contract. Even with Hunter and Davenport, the pass rush could use reinforcements. And Flores has a history of sending more defenders. The Miami Dolphins ranked second, second and 11th in blitz rate during Flores' three seasons as head coach (2019-2021). The Vikings didn't blitz much — ranking 24th — last season under Donatell. Harrison Smith, Hicks and Murphy, among others, should join the rush in this defense. "Loves to blitz," edge rusher D.J. Wonnum said of Flores.