3. Harrison Smith – Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings have an incredibly talented defense. They have stars at every level. However, the heart of the defense is safety Harrison Smith.
He has some of the best instincts in football with an ability to play all over the field. He is excellent at stuffing the run and is one of the best cover safeties in the NFL.
Last season, Smith ranked fourth in pass rating allowed when targeted at 41.7%. Smith also didn’t give up a touchdown in coverage. He is a top tier defender who makes tons of highlight plays, as you can see below:
To accompany Smith’s three interceptions last season, he also recorded three forced fumbles. Let’s not forget, he produced a missed tackle percentage of only 10.5%, which is better than Earl Thomas, Tyrann Mathieu, and Fred Warner.
Smith’s body of work to this point in his career is incredible. He has been voted to five straight Pro Bowls. Smith was also named first-team all-pro in 2017 and second-team all-pro in 2018. While he has yet to find much playoff success, Minnesota has all the right pieces to make a Super Bowl run.
