The one Vikings player on PFF's all-century team might surprise you

Pro Football Focus recently revealed its All-PFF team of the past 25 years, choosing 24 players (11 offense, 11 defense, two specialists) who have shined since the turn of the century in 2000. This is slightly different from a typical all-century team in that it heavily weighs PFF's grading system (which began in 2006) in making the selections.

The one Vikings player chosen might surprise you. It's not Randy Moss or Adrian Peterson or Justin Jefferson or Jared Allen or Kevin Williams or Steve Hutchinson or Harrison Smith. It's Antoine Winfield Sr., an oft-underrated cornerback who began his career with Buffalo and then played for Minnesota from 2004 to 2012. He's one of three corners to make the team, along with Hall of Famer Darrelle Revis and future HOFer Richard Sherman.

Winfield only made three Pro Bowls (2008-2010) and was a second team All-Pro once. But he was a PFF darling, earning an elite 94.5 grade over the back half of his career (from when grading began in 2006 through his final season in 2012).

Here's what PFF's Jonathon Macri wrote:

"Winfield’s NFL career began in 1999, though even his seven remaining seasons in the PFF era yielded one of the best career marks of all time. He was among the 10 highest-graded players for his position in five out of seven years, and the top-graded player at his position three times between 2006 and when he retired in 2012. While Winfield owns a top-10 PFF coverage grade all time (92.3), where he’s unique on this list of cornerbacks is that he also owns the best PFF run-defense grade (94.7) out of 355 qualifiers at the position since 2006. Winfield’s 107 run defense stops are tied for the second most of all time among cornerbacks, while his 2.47-yard average depth of tackle against the run ranks as the best mark among 137 qualifiers since 2006."

It's a pretty cool recognition for a truly incredible player who maybe didn't always get the shine he deserved. At just 5'9" and 180 pounds, Winfield was outstanding in coverage and even better as a run defender and tackler. Across nine seasons with the Vikings, he racked up 21 interceptions, 74 passes defended, 11 forced fumbles, nine fumble recoveries, 45 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, 737 total tackles, and four defensive touchdowns. But even those numbers don't fully tell the tale of how good he was, which is where PFF's every-snap grading helps out.

Derrick Henry was PFF's choice at running back, with Marshawn Lynch as an honorable mention. Peterson surely had a case there. At receiver, they went with Antonio Brown, Julio Jones, and Tyreek Hill, with Calvin Johnson getting an honorable mention. You could certainly make the case for both Moss and Jefferson as snubs, even though Moss peaked before the PFF grading era and Jefferson has only played five seasons so far. The article does say "there will be exceptions for those who are deserving but played from 2000-2005."