Jim Souhan: When you rank the top young athletes in Minnesota sports, there's a new leader

MINNEAPOLIS — In June, when Royce Lewis looked like he was incapable of hitting anything less than a grand slam with the game on the line, I ranked the four best major-sport young athletes in Minnesota.

My picks: The Wolves’ Anthony Edwards a half-step ahead of the Vikings’ Justin Jefferson, followed by Lewis, then the Wild’s Kirill Kaprizov.

Edwards had led the Timberwolves to their greatest victory in franchise history — Game 7 over the defending champion Nuggets in Denver; Jefferson could become one of the greatest players in NFL history; Lewis was making the grand slam look like an everyday occurrence; and Kaprizov, for all of his skill, was muddling through a mediocre Wild season.

It’s time to not only reexamine this ranking, but to expand its parameters.

I picked those four athletes because they were all 26 or younger and playing like stars.

That left the Lynx’s Napheesa Collier off the list. After the year she had — winning defensive player of the year, finishing second in the MVP race, bringing a team with average talent to within a point of the WNBA championship and winning a gold medal — I regret not including her in June.

She’s 28. So the new parameter is local superstars who are 28 or younger.

Here’s my ranking of these five, including a surprise entrant:

— Collier: A’ja Wilson beat her out for league MVP. Breanna Stewart beat her out, with help from the officials, in the WNBA Finals. In reality, Collier was more valuable to the Lynx this season than Wilson was to the Aces, and Collier outplayed Stewart this season when you include defense, and you should always, in basketball, include defense. Collier might be the best player in the world, and she almost led a team picked to finish in the middle of the pack to a title. She’s the new No. 1.

— Edwards: The next step he’s trying to take — becoming the best player on a championship team, and perhaps the best player in the NBA — is a doozy. That he’s being asked to do so at the age of 23 makes him unique.

— Jefferson: He’s off to a historically great start in terms of NFL receiving production. He’s also more dependent on teammates than are basketball players, who can simply take the ball and make something happen anytime they so choose. In 2024, Jefferson is producing his lowest marks for receptions and yards per game since he was a rookie, as the Vikings emphasize the run and Sam Darnold tries to learn what Kirk Cousins eventually did — that throwing the ball in Jefferson’s vicinity, even when he’s not open, is a good idea. Jefferson has done nothing to diminish his status as a great athlete, but he needs more help to remain on a record pace.

— Kaprizov: Last year’s Wild struggles weren’t Kaprizov’s fault, but what you want out of supposed superstars is to see them elevate their team. For whatever reason, Kaprizov was not able to do that last season. This season, he is one of the major reasons the Wild are dramatically overachieving relative to expectations. Entering Thursday’s games, Kaprizov was tied for third in the NHL in scoring, while playing his usual strong two-way game. These are not empty stats. Kaprizov is performing like a true franchise player.

— Koi Perich: This might be premature. I don’t care. Perich has played five college football games as a true freshman. He has five interceptions, two of which were near the goal line and sealed victories. Antoine Winfield, Jr., had nine interceptions in four years as a Gopher. Tyler Nubin never had more than five in one season. Perich is also already one of the best return men in Gophers football history. The Gophers have produced plenty of good pros. Vikings linebacker Blake Cashman has proved to be one of the most valuable defenders in the NFL this season. Perich could be better than any Gopher defender in the modern era.

— Lewis: Lewis experienced his first big league slump this season. It not only lasted a month — he hit .150 with a .406 OPS from Sept. 5 to the end of the season — he went hitless in his last 21 at-bats. He could still be great, but he was appallingly bad when the Twins needed him most.

Congratulations to Collier for emerging as the leader in the most meaningless rankings of her career.