The Minnesota Vikings have always been a team that values great pass-rushing talent. Whether it comes from the interior defensive line, off the edge, a linebacker or even from somewhere in the secondary; Minnesota has consistently placed an emphasis on pressuring opposing quarterbacks.

So, when the Vikings parted ways with two of their top sackers in franchise history following the 2013 NFL season in defensive end Jared Allen and defensive tackle Kevin Williams, it should not have come as a shock that the team was immediately interested in reloading with premiere talent and high-ceiling players.

This reboot included handing defensive end Everson Griffen a lucrative 5-year contract extension, signing nose tackle Linval Joseph away from the New York Giants, adding veteran defensive tackle Tom Johnson, selecting UCLA linebacker Anthony Barr and Oregon State defensive end Scott Crichton during the 2014 NFL draft as well as bringing in UCLA linebacker Eric Kendricks, LSU defensive end Danielle Hunter and Newberry linebacker Edmond Robinson during the 2015 NFL draft.

With exception to the selection of Crichton during the third round of the 2014 draft, all of these moves have played an enormous role in the Vikings becoming one of the most dangerous pass-rushing defenses in the NFL. While players like Griffen, Joseph and Barr have garnered more attention for their successes, no player has sacked quarterbacks with more regularity during the 2016 season than Hunter — a second-year talent who was universally considered to be “raw” and “a few years away” coming out of Louisiana State University.

Entering Week 15, Hunter has totaled a team-leading 10.5 sacks despite having yet to start a game this season and having been on the field for just 495 snaps. By comparison, starting defensive ends Everson Griffen (eight sacks) and Brian Robison (seven sacks) have played 733 and 688 defensive snaps, respectively.

In addition to leading the way for the Vikings in quarterback takedowns, Hunter’s 10.5 sacks rank sixth in professional football behind Denver’s Von Miller (13.5), Atlanta’s Vic Beasley (13.5), Seattle’s Cliff Avril (11.5), Washington’s Ryan Kerrigan (11.0) and Oakland’s Khalil Mack (11.0). Hunter finds himself within this group of elite pass-rushing weapons despite a snap count that is not even in the same stratosphere as any of them with exception to Beasley (547 snaps), as each remaining member of this sextet has totaled at least 650 snaps with Mack (786 snaps), Miller (759 snaps) and Avril (742 snaps) well over 700 apiece.

Simply put, what Hunter has produced over the course of nearly two complete seasons is borderline historic. As shown in the table below, his 16.5 sacks through just 27 games has him competitively listed amongst some of the greatest sack artists in NFL history — and also way beyond the pace of Minnesota career sack leaders John Randle (9.0) and Chris Doleman (0.5).

Ready or Not: 27-Game Sack Leaders

Rank Position Name Team Round Selected First 27 Games Career 1 LB Aldon Smith San Francisco First 30.5 47.5 2T LB Shawne Merriman San Diego First 27.0 45.5 2T DE Reggie White Philadelphia First 27.0 198.0 4 LB Von Miller Denver First 26.5 73.5 5 LB Derrick Thomas Kansas City First 25.0 126.5 6 DE Dwight Freeney Indianapolis First 23.0 122.5 7T LB Clay Matthews Green Bay First 21.5 71.5 7T DE Jevon Kearse Tennessee First 21.5 74.0 7T DE Anthony Smith Oakland/Los Angeles First 21.5 57.5 10T DE/LB Leslie O'Neal San Diego First 20.5 132.5 10T LB Terrell Suggs Baltimore First 20.5 114.5 12 DE JJ Watt Houston First 20.0 76.0 13T DE Cameron Wake Miami Undrafted 19.5 79.5 13T DE/LB Brian Orakpo Washington First 19.5 57.0 13T DT Keith Millard Minnesota First 19.5 58.0 13T DE John Abraham N.Y. Jets First 19.5 133.5 13T DE/LB Elvis Dumervil Denver Fourth 19.5 97.0 18T LB Cornelius Bennett Indianapolis First 18.5 71.5 18T DE/LB Charles Haley San Francisco Fourth 18.5 100.5 20T DE Julius Peppers Carolina First 18.0 142.5 20T DE Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila Green Bay Fifth 18.0 74.5 22T DT Kevin Williams Minnesota First 17.5 63.0 22T DE Simeon Rice Arizona First 17.5 122.0 24T LB Lawrence Taylor N.Y. Giants First 17.0 142.0 24T DE Jared Allen Kansas City Fourth 17.0 136.0 26T DE/LB Chandler Jones New England First 16.5 44.0 26T DE Danielle Hunter Minnesota Third 16.5 16.5 26T DE Bruce Smith Buffalo First 16.5 200.0 29 DT Aaron Donald St. Louis/Los Angeles First 16.0 27.0 30T DE Ziggy Ansah Detroit First 15.5 30.0 30T DE Dexter Manley Washington Fifth 15.5 103.5 30T LB LaMarr Woodley Pittsburgh Second 15.5 58.0 33T LB Tim Harris Green Bay Fourth 15.0 81.0 33T DE Richard Dent Chicago Eighth 15.0 137.5 33T DE Carlos Dunlap Cincinnati Second 15.0 56.0 36T LB Justin Houston Kansas City Third 14.5 60.5 36T LB Ryan Kerrigan Washington First 14.5 58.5 38T DT Bill Pickel Oakland/Los Angeles Second 14.0 56.0 38T LB DeMarcus Ware Dallas First 14.0 138.5 38T DE Will Smith New Orleans First 14.0 67.5 41T DE/LB Vic Beasley Atlanta First 13.5 17.5 41T DE Robert Quinn St. Louis/Los Angeles First 13.5 54.0 43T DE Robert Mathis Indianapolis Fifth 13.0 121.0 43T DE Trent Cole Philadelphia Fifth 13.0 89.5 43T LB Tamba Hali Kansas City First 13.0 89.5 43T DT Ndamukong Suh Detroit First 13.0 47.0 43T DE Jason Taylor Miami Third 13.0 139.5 48 DE/DT Justin Smith Cincinnati First 12.5 87.0 49 LB Andre Tippett New England Second 12.0 100.0 50 LB/DE Whitney Mercilus Houston First 11.5 35.5 51T DE/LB Khalil Mack Oakland First 11.0 30.0 51T DE Olivier Vernon Miami Third 11.0 37.0 51T LB Bryce Paup Green Bay Sixth 11.0 75.0 54 DE Mario Williams Houston First 10.5 97.5 55T DE/LB Bruce Irvin Seattle First 10.0 27.0 55T LB Joey Porter Pittsburgh Third 10.0 98.0 55T LB Shaun Phillips San Diego Fourth 10.0 81.5 58T LB/DE Willie McGinest New England First 9.5 86.0 58T DE Cliff Avril Detroit Third 9.5 71.5 58T DT Geno Atkins Cincinnati Fourth 9.5 49.5 61T LB/DE Connor Barwin Houston Second 9.0 49.5 61T DT Warren Sapp Tampa Bay First 9.0 96.5 61T DE Charles Johnson Carolina Third 9.0 67.5 61T DT Marcell Dareus Buffalo First 9.0 34.0 61T DT/DE John Randle Minnesota Undrafted 9.0 137.5 66T DE Michael Strahan N.Y. Giants Second 8.5 141.5 66T DT Fletcher Cox Philadelphia First 8.5 27.5 66T LB/DE Junior Galette New Orleans Undrafted 8.5 31.5 69T LB Ahmad Brooks Cincinnati/San Francisco Third 8.0 52.5 69T DE Justin Tuck N.Y. Giants Third 8.0 66.5 69T DE Jim Jeffcoat Dallas First 8.0 102.5 72T DE/DT Mike Daniels Green Bay Fourth 7.5 21.0 72T DE/LB Jadeveon Clowney Houston First 7.5 8.5 72T LB Anthony Barr Minnesota First 7.5 9.5 72T LB Chad Brown Pittsburgh Second 7.5 79.0 72T LB Pernell McPhee Baltimore Fifth 7.5 25.0 77T DT Gerald McCoy Tampa Bay First 7.0 42.0 77T DE Chris Long St. Louis/Los Angeles First 7.0 57.5 77T DE Cameron Jordan New Orleans First 7.0 44.5 77T LB Kevin Greene St. Louis/Los Angeles Fifth 7.0 160.0 77T DE Chris Clemons Washington Undrafted 7.0 69.0 77T DT/DE Sheldon Richardson N.Y. Jets First 7.0 18.0 83T LB Junior Seau San Diego First 6.0 56.5 83T LB/DE Jason Babin Houston First 6.0 64.5 83T DE Greg Hardy Carolina Sixth 6.0 40.0 86 DE/DT Brian Robison Minnesota Fourth 5.5 55.5 87 DE Bertrand Berry Indianapolis Third 5.0 65.0 88T DT Jurrell Casey Tennessee Third 4.5 31.0 88T LB/DE Dee Ford Kansas City First 4.5 15.5 88T DE Lance Johnstone Oakland Second 4.5 72.0 88T LB/DE Brandon Graham Philadelphia First 4.5 28.5 92T DE/DT Calais Campbell Arizona Second 4.0 52.5 92T LB James Harrison Pittsburgh Undrafted 4.0 81.5 92T DE Everson Griffen Minnesota Fourth 4.0 48.0 95 CB Ronde Barber Tampa Bay Third 3.0 28.0 96T S Adrian Wilson Arizona Third 2.0 25.5 96T DE Jerry Hughes Indianapolis First 2.0 35.0 96T S Harrison Smith Minnesota First 2.0 7.5 99 S Brian Dawkins Philadelphia Second 1.0 26.0 100 LB/DE Chris Doleman Minnesota First 0.5 150.5

With three games still to play — and a home matchup with the Indianapolis Colts, who have allowed the second-most quarterback sacks this season (40), on the horizon — Hunter has an outside chance of totaling the most sacks in Vikings history through two complete NFL seasons.

Vikings: Most Sacks Through First Two Years

Rank Position Name Sacks 1 DT Kevin Williams 22.0 2 DT Keith Millard 21.5 3 DE Danielle Hunter 16.5 4 DE Al Noga 11.5 5 DT/DE John Randle 10.5

What truly makes his success thus far so special is the fact that he is doing it not only as a rotational player but at an extremely young age, relative to NFL standards. Hunter, who turned 22 years old on October 29th, is well ahead of the pace of the two players ahead of him in the previous table, as Williams and defensive tackle Keith Millard both began their professional careers at the age of 23. Relative to players his age throughout Vikings franchise history, however, Hunter is already well ahead of the curve.

Vikings: Most Sacks Through Age 22 Season

Rank Position Name Sacks 1 DE Danielle Hunter 16.5 2 DE Ray Edward 8.0 3 LB Dwayne Rudd 7.0 4 DE Kenechi Udeze 6.0 5 LB Anthony Barr 4.0

With more than double the sacks of former Vikings defensive end Ray Edwards, the third-round pick from LSU has proven his ability to bring opposing quarterbacks to the ground is well beyond comparison to former Vikings within his age group. Hunter is, in fact, yielding generational results, as his current career total of 16.5 sacks ranks fifth all-time among players having finished their age-22 season.

NFL: Most Sacks Through Age 22 Season

Rank Position Name Team Sacks 1 LB Shawne Merriman San Diego 27.0 2 LB Terrell Suggs Baltimore 22.5 3 DE Jason Pierre-Paul N.Y. Giants 21.0 4 DE Mario Williams Houston 18.5 5 DE Danielle Hunter Minnesota 16.5 6 DE Robert Quinn St. Louis/Los Angeles 15.5 7 DE/DT Keith Hamilton N.Y. Giants 15.0 8T DE Carlos Dunlap Cincinnati 14.0 8T LB Aldon Smith San Francisco 14.0 10T DE/DT Shane Dronett Denver 13.5 10T DE/DT Darrell Russell Oakland 13.5 10T DT Dan Wilkinson Cincinnati 13.5

Assuming Hunter can remain healthy for Minnesota’s three remaining matchups against the Colts, Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears, it’s not farfetched for him to climb all the way to the No. 2 spot on the above list.

As previously mentioned, Indianapolis has had plenty of issues keeping quarterbacks Andrew Luck and Scott Tolzien upright, and while Green Bay (26 sacks allowed) and Chicago (24 sacks allowed) have been considerably better at holding opposing defenses in check, Hunter is in the midst of a torrid pace that has seen him total at least 1.0 sacks in four of the past five matchups and a minimum of half a sack in all five.

As a result, it remains entirely possible that a player selected No. 88 overall, widely considered to be a long-term project and one who managed to record only 4.5 sacks through a 34-game collegiate career in the SEC could rival the ridiculous 27-sack mark former edge-rusher Shawne Merriman reached during his first two seasons with the San Diego Chargers.

That doesn’t seem too bad considering that Hunter was not only a Day 2 draft selection but also passed over in favor of 14 other pass-rushing weapons, 13 edge-rushers and six (seven counting Beasley) defensive ends during the 2015 NFL draft. Through 29 potential games played, however, Hunter has turned in the second-most sacks in his draft class, falling just one short of the class-leading Beasley.

2015 NFL Draft: Sack Totals

Position Name Team Round Pick Number Sack Total DE/LB Vic Beasley Atlanta 1 8 17.5 DE Danielle Hunter Minnesota 3 88 16.5 DE Preston Smith Washington 2 38 12.0 LB Markus Golden Arizona 2 58 11.0 DE Frank Clark Seattle 2 63 10.5 LB Shane Ray Denver 1 23 10.0 DT Leonard Williams N.Y. Jets 1 6 10 LB Lorenzo Mauldin N.Y. Jets 3 82 6.5 LB Bud Dupree Pittsburgh 1 22 6.0 LB Hau'oli Kikaha New Orleans 2 44 4.0 LB Nate Orchard Cleveland 2 51 3.0 DE Dante Fowler Jr. Jacksonville 1 3 2.5 LB Eli Harold San Francisco 3 79 1.0 DE Owamagbe Odighizuwa N.Y. Giants 3 74 0 DE Randy Gregory Dallas 2 60 0

To add even further perspective to how dominant Hunter has been during his young professional career, his 16.5 sacks are surpassed by only two players from the 2014 draft class — Mack (30.0) and Los Angeles’ Aaron Donald (27.0) — and three players from the 2013 draft class — Detroit’s Ezekiel Ansah (30.0), Carolina’s Kawann Short (21.0) and New York’s Sheldon Richardson (18.0) — despite playing one or two fewer seasons, respectively. In fact, Hunter would rank in the top 20 of the 2012 (13th), 2011 (17th) and 2010 (17th) classes as well, which is absolutely absurd given the number of seasons, games and snaps he has played in comparison.

Each of these numbers shedding light on Hunter’s generational ability and historic pace all lead to one question: How is he doing it? Naturally, there isn’t a simple answer, as a number of different factors have converged to produce the sack artist-in-the-making football fans are watching develop before their eyes.

Coming out of Morton Ranch high school (Katy, Texas), he was given a four-star recruiting grade as the No. 34-ranked defensive end in the country. He received offers from a number of high-profile universities including Nebraska, Michigan State, Texas A&M and Oklahoma, but ultimately decided to attend LSU, which at the time was led by head coach Les Miles.

Hunter’s collegiate career, as previously noted, was rather underwhelming. Throughout the duration of his 34 games played and two complete seasons as a starter, Hunter recorded an uninspiring total 4.5 sacks and a somewhat impressive total of 21 tackles for loss. Despite statistical totals that hardly tread water on the best edge-rushers in the country, he elected to enter the 2015 draft — a move which was widely considered to be a mistake given that he still had a year left of eligibility as well as the physical and athletic tools to improve his draft stock with a strong senior season.

His statistical figures may have been similar to that of a Day 3-pick, but Hunter’s performance at the NFL Combine solidified his status a player with limitless potential given the right coaching.

It was this combination of world-class athleticism and his Greek god-like physique that caught the attention of Rick Spielman and Mike Zimmer. The incorporation of his relentless motor and coachable personality forced the Vikings to select an edge-rusher during the third round for a second consecutive year despite needing to add depth both along the offensive line and at running back.

While the 2016 season has brought into focus Minnesota’s lack of depth at the pair of aforementioned positions, it is hard to imagine that Spielman or Zimmer would do anything differently given a mulligan, as the former Day 2 pick out of LSU has quickly emerged as talent with the potential to become one of the league’s most dynamic edge-rushers and an absolute force within the Vikings defense for years to come.

Hunter’s athletic and physical gifts are clear on tape, as he consistently combines explosiveness, lateral agility, strength, length and tenacity to reach opposing quarterbacks. What may be less obvious, however, is how quickly he has grown from a technical standpoint since his LSU days.

As one may have assumed from his pedestrian college statistics, Hunter’s collegiate highlight reel was not very extensive. Among these highlights, however, was a sack of former Mississippi State and current Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (video above).

This particular snap represents a microcosm of Hunter’s collegiate career. While he was ultimately able to record a sack on the play, he failed to beat left tackle Blaine Clausell (No. 75) — who went undrafted in 2015 and is a current member of the Carolina Panthers practice squad — off the line of scrimmage and was only able to reach Prescott as a result of a relentless motor and the Mississippi State quarterback holding the ball too long in the pocket.

Essentially every highlight from his time at LSU was a result of similar reasoning; he rarely flashed an ability to combine his outstanding motor, explosive burst, impressive strength, world-class athleticism and ridiculous length with textbook edge-rushing technique or any semblance of pass-rushing creativity.

Since Zimmer, defensive coordinator George Edwards and defensive line coach Andre Patterson got their hands on him, however, Hunter has improved both dramatically and at a consistent rate throughout his nearly two-year professional career.

“[Hunter] really is coachable,” Zimmer said. “Every day he tries to learn the best he can. He takes in everything. The big thing with him, sometimes he becomes robotic. I think that’s what has kind of allowed him to progress. A year ago he was kind of robotic in wanting to try to take in everything. You have to have a starting point. For him, it’s getting off the ball and staying low. “Once that happens, then he can just kind of let his athletic ability take over. When you’re thinking a lot and you’re a young guy, you tend to slow down, especially early in the down.”

He is quicker off the snap, uses his hands more effectively, converts speed to power more fluidly, takes better angles to the backfield, contorts his body around pass-protectors more naturally, and, above all, better employs his truly unparalleled edge-rushing traits.

While there have been countless examples of this progression amid both the 2015 and 2016 seasons, Hunter’s sack of Carolina’s Cam Newton in the end zone during Week 3 may be the single-best example of his dramatic improvement.

This play — especially given Carolina’s field position and Minnesota’s 10-point deficit on the scoreboard — is all-around ridiculous. Hunter, who is lined up in Griffen’s typical right defensive position with his hand in the dirt, fights through two separate offensive linemen in a matter of seconds and explodes directly into the blind-side of an unexpecting Newton.

What makes this play truly special, however, is the number of absolutely absurd and beyond exceptional maneuvers Hunter employs in order to record — what would prove to be — a game-altering safety.

Hunter beats LT Michael Oher off the snap Hunter’s initial punch connects low and inside the pads of Oher, lifting him off the ground and disallowing him to establish proper balance or set an anchor with his left foot Hunter seizes complete control of Oher’s unbalanced weight distribution, upending the 6-foot-4, 315-pound offensive tackle Hunter slams Oher into the ground and sets his eyes on the prize Hunter casually hurdles Oher and continues his pursuit of Newton Hunter is engaged by LG Andrew Norwall Hunter bends away from Norwall’s punch, re-establishing balance with his right foot to continue the best possible route to Newton Hunter slams into the back of the Newton and effortlessly slams the 245-pound quarterback into the ground for a safety

In just under four seconds, Hunter destroyed a 315-pound offensive tackle, hurdled him, shook off a 315-pound offensive guard and brought down a 245-pound quarterback in the end zone for a safety — it truly does not get much more special than that relative to individual effort on a single play.

More impressively, however, is the fact that Hunter has been making plays like this during key moments all season long, as displayed within the following tables and video playlist documenting each of his 10.5 sacks throughout the 2016 campaign:

Hunting: Sacks by Down

Year 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 2015 0 3 3 0 2016 2 4 4 1 Total 2 7 7 1

Hunting: Sacks by Quarter

Year 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 2015 2 1 4 0 2016 2 2 0 8 Total 4 3 4 8

Sack Artists are typically defined as standout pass-rushers that bring down quarterbacks consistently and effortlessly, record high sack totals every season and make plays during key moments or in spite of an offense game-planning to stop them. Players such as Von Miller (Denver), JJ Watt (Houston), Dwight Freeney (Indianapolis/San Diego/Arizona), Julius Peppers (Carolina/Chicago/Green Bay) and Jared Allen (Kansas City/Minnesota/Chicago/Carolina) are just a few of the greatest recent embodiments of this term.

Danielle Hunter — a 22-year-old defensive end possessing unparalleled athleticism, the physical stature of a Greek god, a relentless motor, a coachable work ethic, a Vikings defensive staff with years of experience and a long list of success stories, a defensive scheme that employs him perfectly in a number of different ways as well as a handful of veteran teammates to mentor him — is well on his way to becoming one of the most feared sack artists the National Football League has to offer.

“He’s got unlimited potential to work with. Danielle is a hard worker, he’s smart and he’s a great athlete with a bunch of God-given attributes,” Mike Zimmer said “If you’ve got those things and you’re willing to work and listen … you can go a long way.”

Statistics courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference; Snap Counts courtesy of Pro Football Focus; Film Clips courtesy of NFL Game Pass; NFL Combine numbers courtesy of Mockdraftable; Sacks courtesy of Danielle Hunter.