Former Florida EDGE Jonathan Greenard cracks NFL's top 50 players ahead of 2025-26 season

USA Today

4 hours ago

The start of the 2025-26 NFL campaign is less than a month away, and things are starting to cook ahead of the nation's favorite gridiron game.
While we count down the remaining days before the opening kickoff, NFL.com's Coral Smith has been curating its rankings of the top 100 players as voted by the players themselves heading into the new season. She recently released the cohort for the No. 50 to No. 41 rankings, which saw the first former Florida Gator to be named: edge defender Jonathan Greenard of the Minnesota Vikings, who checks in at No. 48.
"Greenard signed a four-year contract to join the Vikings last offseason, putting big expectations on his shoulders to produce and aid in the pass rush out of the gate," Smith begins.
"And Greenard did just that, establishing himself quickly in the Minnesota defense as a QB-hunting threat and part of the team's turnover-happy unit. Responsible for a quartet of takeaways himself, Greenard was rewarded for his impactful performance with his first Pro Bowl nod and a few points for Defensive Player of the Year voting," she continues.
"Set to stay in Minnesota for the long term, Greenard figures to maintain his new key role in the defense going forward, especially after some significant free agency departures."
NFL Pro Insight for Jonathan Greenard
2024 stats: 17 games | 59 tackles | 18 tfl | 12 sacks | 4 FF | 1 FR
"Greenard was one of just two edge defenders in the NFL (alongside Myles Garrett) to record 50+ pressures, 10+ sacks, 25+ run stops (run tackle for a loss in EPA), and 10+ run stuffs," Smith notes.
What Vikings coaches say about Greenard
"We call him the closer," Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell told ESPN regarding Greenard during training camp. "How many times have we seen him win a one-on-one, or even with help from the back or the tight end, and he just wins and ends the drill?"
"He's worked on his pass rush," adds defensive coordinator Brian Flores. "He's worked on setting the edge in the run game. But also: How do I set somebody up? I think he's that sort of unselfish player."
What Greenard says about his progress
"It takes a lot of humility to just say, 'Hey, I'm ready to learn today,'" Greenard told ESPN. "I'm trying to learn something every single day so I can just build up on my game, so that nobody can stop me. They may know I do a certain move, but I may have added something else to the move that they've never seen before. And at that point, you're balling.
"Last year was my first year getting used to this system, so now I have a better understanding when I can be aggressive and then add on the ways I can set other people up," he notes.
"Each year, I just continue to just learn something," Greenard continued. "You might feel like you know it all every single year — until you have another year and another year under your belt. I always say it's good to be punched in the mouth at times, to make you go back to the drawing board and make you understand why you love this stuff.
"So I feel like I can take this thing as far as God will let me. I have a lot left in the tank."
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