NFL digital content producer Bobby Kownack released his Top 100 Players of 2025 Tuesday, a list including a few surprise selections.
Minnesota Vikings linebacker and former Wisconsin Badger Andrew Van Ginkel is making his list debut, ranked No. 88 overall.
The 6-foot-4 linebacker was selected by the Dolphins in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL Draft and spent five seasons in Miami. This year was his first in Minnesota, but the move meant Van Ginkel got to reunite with Vikings’ defensive coordinator Brian Flores.
Flores initially drafted Van Ginkel in Miami and was the linebacker’s head coach on the Dolphins from 2019-2021. According to Kownack, reconnecting with Flores was crucial for Van Ginkel.
Over five seasons in Miami, the linebacker recorded 17 sacks and averaged 50 total tackles per year. In just one season with the Vikings, Van Ginkel recorded a career-high in sacks (11.5) and total tackles (79), while tying his career-high in solo tackles (50 in 2021).
“Van Ginkel helped transform Minnesota’s defense into a top-five unit,” Kownack wrote. “Beyond hitting double-digit sacks for the first time in his career, Van Ginkel was also superb as a cover man.”
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Minnesota knows how good it has it with Van Ginkel — in April, the Vikings signed him to a one-year, $23 million contract extension. His original deal, a two-year $20 million contract inked during the 2024 free agency period, was incredibly low compared to Van Ginkel’s impact on the team.
Per Kownack, Van Ginkel received an 81.0 PFF coverage grade, was rated sixth among edge rushers. He was the only player in the NFL to nab multiple pick-sixes.
After extending Van Ginkel, the Vikings’ are set on the EDGE for the next few seasons. Jonathan Greenard is in year two of a four-year, $76 million deal, while Dallas Turner enters the second season of his rookie contract.