A new member of the Vikings is making the “best under 25” lists

And he should be there for a while

Over the past few years, Minnesota Vikings fans have gotten used to seeing wide receiver Justin Jefferson leading the different lists of the best players in the NFL under the age of 25. That won’t be the case anymore as the NFL’s best wide receiver turned 25 back on the 16th of June. Offensive tackle Christian Darrisaw turned 25 in June as well, so his name isn’t on these lists any more, either.

However, the Vikings have another player who should be on these lists for the next couple of years in linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. The 23-year-old undrafted free agent made a big splash with the Vikings last year and has quickly established himself as a core piece for the Vikings and Brian Flores (as long as he’s here) to build around going forward.

Vinnie Iyer of The Sporting News has put together his list of the best players under age 25 at each position and Pace is among his three linebackers.

The undrafted gem from Miami (Ohio) was on the field everywhere making big plays for Brian Flores as a rookie in 2023. He can become more prolific out of the gate this season.

(We’ll forgive Vinnie for getting Pace’s college wrong. . .he played at Cincinnati, not Miami of Ohio.)

The Vikings have gotten their share of undrafted free agent gems throughout their history, and it seems like Pace is well on his way to being the next one. He’s shown the ability to make plays all over the field as well as attack the passer when called upon. His development is going to be an interesting one to monitor this coming season, and hopefully he will continue on his upward trajectory.