For their eighth time in franchise history and the fifth time in the past nine seasons, the Vikings have had a player win NFL Rookie of the Month.
Eric Kendricks, the second-round draft pick, has won NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month for October despite playing only three games due to the team's Week 5 bye.
College football's 2014 Butkus Award winner is the third Vikings defensive player to win the award and the first since defensive tackle Kevin Williams in 2003.
In his three October games, Kendricks posted 25 total tackles, including 20 in the past two games as a three-down player, as well as four sacks, five tackles for loss and five quarterback hits. His four sacks tied for fifth in the league and was first among all rookies. Kendricks also is first with New Orleans' Hau'oli Kikaha among all rookies with four sacks on the season.
Kendricks, who became the starter in the base 4-3 defense when Gerald Hodges was traded to San Francisco during the bye week, is first on the team with six tackles for loss and second in sacks and tackles (35).
Here is a list of Vikings who have won rookie of the month:
1997 Dwayne Rudd, LB December
1998 Randy Moss, WR November
2003 Kevin Williams, DT December
2007 Adrian Peterson, RB September
2007 Adrian Peterson, RB October
2009 Percy Harvin, WR November
2013 Cordarrelle Patterson, WR December
2015 Eric Kendricks, LB October
