Rock Valley native and first year Minnesota Viking linebacker Andrew Van Ginkle has been named a starter for the NFC Pro Bowl Games Team. The former Boyden Hull Rock Valley Nighthawk is joined by QB Sam Darnold, WR Justin Jefferson, CB Byron Murphy, Jr., OLB Jonathan Greenard, and LS Andrew DePaola on the NFC all-star roster. The league made the announcement Thursday. Van Ginkel, Greenard and Darnold all joined the Vikings as free agent acquisitions this season. For the three it’s also their first selections to the Pro Bowl.
Van Ginkel has started all 16 games of his first season in Minnesota and sixth in the NFL. He goes into the final week of the regular season with 46 tackles, 11.5 sacks, 17 tackles for loss, a forced fumble and five passes defensed. He also recorded two interception returns for touchdowns. Those came against the Giants in Week 1 and Jets in Week 5.
Van Ginkel was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week after his Week 16 outing in Seattle, where he contributed five tackles, 2.0 sacks and three quarterback hits.
The group is Minnesota’s largest contingent since 2009, when eight Vikings were honored. That group[ included Brett Favre, Adrian Peterson, Sidney Rice, Bryant McKinnie, Steve Hutchinson, Jared Allen, Kevin Williams and Heath Farwell.
