Vikings players reflect on the NFL stars who inspired them

Every time the Minnesota Vikings take the field, it’s a reminder that many NFL dreams begin long before a player ever reaches the professional level.

For Vikings players, Sundays are the culmination of years spent watching games from living rooms and backyards, imagining themselves making the same plays as the stars they admired growing up. Those childhood favorites often became more than heroes. They became role models who helped shape the careers the players would eventually build themselves.

When asked which NFL player inspired them most as kids, Vikings safety Josh Metellus offered an answer that might surprise some fans.

“You guys are going to get a kick out of this,” Metellus said. “A-Rod was my favorite national football player. For the longest, I was a big Packers fan. Something about 12 in Madden, he always gave me the dub against my brothers.”

Tight end T.J. Hockenson p...