What Can Danielle Hunter Do For An Encore?
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- When the Vikings drafted Danielle Hunter in the third round last year, they saw a physical specimen of an athlete with great strength and speed -- but not great technique.
That's how they explained how a guy with the fastest 40 time at the Combine among defensive linemen had just one-and-a-half sacks in his final year in college -- he was taking wide, winding angles to the quarterback and cancelling out his own speed. Better technique, they figured, would yield a lot more sacks.
They were right. Hunter was a force last season, with six sacks in just limited playing time -- second-most among rookies.
And here's the thing that has them so excited this year -- that technique has gotten even better.
"Whatever they want me to do, I'll go out there and do it," Hunter said. "I'll go out there and help them any way I can on the field."
He also bulked up. He says he's almost 20 pounds heavier now than he was in college.
"The little extra added weight, it helps me with my pass rush," he said. "Just when I'm using my hands and all that. Puts a little bit of umph in my rushing."
Hunter's speed has always been his biggest asset. He ran track in high school -- the 200 and 400 meters. That's right -- a sprinter. A guy that big was a sprinter. And now that he knows how to better harness that speed, coaches are salivating about how good Hunter can be.
"I set my ceiling at a very high standard, but I just got to keep working," Hunter said, "just keep improving."