The Minnesota Vikings have one of the better rosters in the NFC, but there’s no denying that their strength is at the safety position. Pro Football Focus recently released an article ranking the NFL’s top safety duos, and they showed their love for Minnesota. According to the advanced analytics website, Harrison Smith and Anthony Harris are the best safety tandem in the league.
Harrison Smith, Anthony Harris Are NFL’s Best Safety Duo, Per PFF
PFF starts off their praise by mentioning Smith and Harris’ amazing coverage ability. According to their grading system, “Harris (91.6) and Smith (91.4) produced PFF’s top two coverage grades among players at the position.” Pro Football Focus has also created a Wins Above Replacement (WAR) metric and Harris and Smith both impress in that regard. According to the article, both members ranked within the top four in WAR at their position.
Smith and Harris have an innate ability to win in just about every version of coverage. The article goes on to mention that Smith and Harris rank within the top five in man coverage, zone coverage, coverage without pressure, coverage against quick passes, forced incompletion percentage, and passer rating allowed.
Harrison Smith first joined the Vikings back in 2012. Selected in the first round, the Notre Dame product started and appeared in all 16 games as a rookie. He managed to make a positive impact right out of the gate, recording three interceptions, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and two touchdowns. He proved this wasn’t a one-season fluke, as he’s made five trips to the Pro Bowl in his eight-year career and earned First-Team All-Pro honors back in 2017.
While Smith entered the NFL with high expectations, Anthony Harris overcame the odds to become one of the best safeties in the league. After going undrafted in 2015, the Vikings signed Harris to a modest deal to compete for a roster spot. Surprisingly enough, Harris didn’t make the team out of camp and started his career on the practice squad. He eventually earned a role on the roster, appearing in four games while making two starts. Overall, Harris has played in 65 games while recording nine interceptions, 180 tackles, one forced fumble, and four fumble recoveries.
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