EAGAN, Minn. -- If a player's Pro Bowl candidacy was based on numbers alone, Minnesota Vikings linebacker Eric Kendricks would have been a shoo-in.
He has an NFL-best 12 pass deflections by a linebacker and 30 run stops (sixth overall), has allowed the lowest percentage of targets caught in coverage at his position (56.3), ranks third in pass rush productivity among all linebackers and leads his team in tackles (110) for a fifth straight season.
Kendricks is having a career year, ranked the No. 1 linebacker by Pro Football Focus, but was again left off the initial Pro Bowl roster as voted on by players, coaches and fans. The Vikings had three players selected when rosters were released on Tuesday: defensive end Danielle Hunter, running back Dalvin Cook and safety Harrison Smith.
The annual snubbery has become par for the course for Kendricks, a former second-round pick whose impact on the Vikings defense has played no small part in a 10-win season with a return to the playoffs in reach.
"At the end of the day, he had a great season, and he's a young player that wants to be great," nose tackle Linval Joseph said on Wednesday. "He's going to eventually get that recognition. Right now he's playing at a high level and people get snubbed all the time. But it's not the end of the road. Right now we're trying to go to the Super Bowl, so if he gets the chance to go to the Super Bowl, he won't be able to play in the Pro Bowl anyway."
Kendricks has always flown under the radar. He's grown used to it, as an overlooked three-star recruit (he ended up winning the Butkus Award in 2014 at UCLA as the nation's top linebacker) and then NFL prospect once knocked for his size (the 6-foot, 232-pounder has been a five-year starter in Minnesota).
"I always feel like I'm just a little underrated," said Kendricks, 27, before the Pro Bowl rosters were announced. "It is how it's going to be. I'm trying to be the best person I can be and trying to accomplish things that I've never accomplished before.
"I feel like it's kind of like my life story. That's just who I am, and I just kind of embrace that. I kind of love it, honestly."
On this defense he's far from overlooked or underappreciated.
Kendricks is in line for far bigger accolades, such as being named All-Pro and emerging in the conversation for NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
He's been the catalyst for moments that set his teammates up for success. Ahead of halftime in Minnesota's 39-10 win over the Chargers on Sunday, Vikings defensive end Ifeadi Odenigbo recovered a fumble and ran 56 yards for a touchdown.
It was Kendricks who tackled the Chargers' Austin Ekeler and prevented him from recovering the fumble, which allowed Odenigbo the time to locate the ball and take it to the end zone. Later in the fourth quarter, Kendricks forced a fumble that set up Mike Boone to run in a touchdown.
He's also earned a reputation for saving his team in crunch time, like with his fourth-down pass break-ups against the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys that halted comebacks.
The talent is something the Vikings have known for awhile, even before they signed Kendricks to a five-year, $50 million extension in 2018. A middle linebacker whose athleticism (4.61 40-yard dash) rivals a safety's isn't seen too often. As Kendricks has matured, so has his role in the defense.
"We're asking him to do a lot of things, because he's a talented guy," coach Mike Zimmer said. "He can cover, he can run, get sideline to sideline, so we ask him to do a lot of things."
Kendricks was considered too small to be a first-round pick in 2015. As the make-up of NFL defenses has changed, so has the role of linebackers.
"Linebackers are getting smaller," Zimmer said. "You have to have coverage ability nowadays to play linebacker in the NFL. Maybe if anything we thought he was maybe going to be a weak (side) inside linebacker, and now he's turned into a full-time [middle] linebacker that can play pass coverage real well."
Added Odenigbo: "I remember coming here and seeing him play and the things he's being asked to do in this defense, going from a split bluff look when he's on the line to working out and getting the running back on a flare, it's just incredible. He's this great, tremendous athlete, and I don't think he gets enough credit."
Kendricks' understanding of offenses, defenses, route combinations, the Vikings' coverage scheme and how to communicate all that to his teammates is among his greatest assets.
"I've never seen a linebacker cover as good as he does, play through the hands as good as he does," cornerback Mike Hughes said. "I actually asked him a few tips today on how to play through the hands to get the ball out because he does a good job of it. He's been playing pretty good all year. We know he can play as good as he does. As long as he keeps it up, people will start recognizing it more."
His expanding role makes him invaluable in Minnesota, and a Pro Bowl bid doesn't validate Kendricks to those who know him best.
"I talk to buddies on other teams and always talk about Eric Kendricks, but for some reason it just kind of tells you the ... Pro Bowl, stuff like that is all about hype because everyone is talking about how great of a year he's having this year," Odenigbo said.
"But he's had a great year the last couple of years. It's not a breakout year for him, if you look at the numbers and everything."