Best Minnesota Vikings Draft Picks By Round
The 2024 NFL Draft is nearly a week away. It will be the 64th draft in the franchise history of the Minnesota Vikings. There were 20 rounds in the 1961 NFL Draft. There were also only 14 teams in the NFL. There are only seven rounds and 32 teams today. This is a look back at some of the best Minnesota Vikings picks in each round of the past 63 drafts.
Best Minnesota Vikings Draft Picks By Round
Best First Round Pick
1967. Alan Page, DT, Notre Dame
13 Vikings players have busts in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Six of those players came to Minnesota by way of the first round.
Carl Eller (1964)
Alan Page (1967)
Ron Yary (1968)
Chris Doleman (1985)
Randall McDaniel (1988)
Randy Moss (1998)
Kevin Williams (2003) should join them one day. Adrian Peterson (2007) will be get a bust in a couple years. Harrison Smith (2012) is building a Hall argument. Justin Jefferson (2020) is currently on the right path. Any of them could be the pick here. Alan Page is my pick. Perhaps I’m a bit biased as he’s my favorite player from my six decades with the team. Even with that bias, picking the first defensive player to be named NFL MVP (1971) and one of the finest defensive tackles to ever play isn’t a questionable decision.
Best Second Round Pick
1974. Matt Blair, LB, Iowa State
It’s safe to say that the Vikings don’t have a strong second round history. I have Matt Blair as the best of the bunch. He had a terrific 15-year career in Minnesota. He earned six consecutive trips to the Pro Bowl and was named All-Pro in 1980. He was named one of the 50 Greatest Vikings and is inducted into the team’s Ring of Honor. The dedicated historians of the Pro Football Researchers Association inducted Blair into the Hall of Very Good. That’s the first stop of many players on their way to an eventual bust in Canton. I’m not sure if Matt Blair ever gets there but his career is worthy of Hall of Fame consideration as a Senior candidate.
Some of the second round contenders:
Ed White (1969)
Sammy White (1976)
Dennis Swilley (1977)
Orlando Thomas (1995)
Jim Kleinsasser (1999)
E.J. Henderson (2003)
Cedric Griffin (2007)
Phil Loadholt (2009)
Kyle Rudolph (2011)
Eric Kendricks (2015)
Dalvin Cook (2017)
Brian O’Neill (2018)
Best Third Round Pick
1961. Fran Tarkenton, QB, Georgia
The best third round pick in the franchise history of the Minnesota Vikings is without question.
Best Fourth Round Pick
2010. Everson Griffen, DE, USC
If Everson Griffen didn’t have to wait behind Jared Allen for his starting shot, his career would probably shine even brighter. Once he entered the starting lineup in 2014, he was one of the league’s best pass rushers. He was a terrific, fun football player.
Some of the fourth round contenders:
Roy Winston (1962)
Paul Flatley (1963)
Reggie Rutland (1987)
Mewelde Moore (2004)
Ray Edwards (2006)
Brian Robison (2007)
Camryn Bynum (2021)
Best Fifth Round Pick
1992. Ed McDaniel, LB, Clemson
The best fifth round pick in Vikings franchise history comes down to Ed McDaniel and Stefon Diggs. I’m going with McDaniel because he played well for longer in Minnesota than Diggs. Ed McDaniel is one of the more underrated players in team history. It didn’t help that he was often overlooked during his career. He was named to one Pro Bowl but should’ve gone to a few more. For much of the 1990s he was the Vikings best defensive player not named John Randle.
Best Sixth Round Pick
1998. Matt Birk, C, Harvard
Matt Birk is the only Vikings sixth round pick to make a sustained contribution. Next is probably the player that replaced him at center, John Sullivan. Drafted as an offensive tackle, Birk was soon moved to center. He became the starter in his third season and led one of the better offensive lines in team history for nearly a decade. He was a regular on the Pro Bowl roster, making it six times.
Josh Metellus is a current former sixth-round pick that could go on to a real nice career.
One of the biggest “what ifs” in Vikings franchise history is tight end Joe Senser. Drafted in the sixth round of the 1979 NFL Draft, he didn’t play as a rookie, showed promise in 1980, and exploded in 1981. 79 catches, 1004 yards, and eight touchdowns. This was an era in which tight ends were truly starting to emerge as offensive weapons. Kellen Winslow, Ozzie Newsome, and Dave Casper were starting or in the middle of their Hall of Fame careers. Senser entered their orbit in 1981. He had a modest season during the strike-shortened 1982 season and suffered a knee injury in 1983 that wiped out that season. He tried to return in 1984 but wasn’t the same and retired after the season. Just as he was emerging as one of the league’s best tight ends his career was over. It did clear the way for the best seventh-round pick in team history.
Best Seventh Round Pick
1982. Steve Jordan, TE, Brown
While I do like Steve Jordan as the best seventh round pick in team history, it’s not an easy decision. A couple corners make it difficult.
Bobby Bryant (1967)
Carl Lee (1983)
Any of Steve Jordan, Bobby Bryant, and Carl Lee could be the choice here. I have Jordan now but tomorrow I might lean toward Bryant. Anyway, those with a greater say than me on matters like this agree. Jordan is the only one of the three that’s been inducted into the Vikings Ring of Honor. He’s arguably the best tight end in franchise history. Just as Joe Senser was becoming a sad story of what might’ve been, Jordan was emerging as an impact player. 68 catches in 1985 and the first of six consecutive Pro Bowls in 1986. By comparison, Lee made three Pro Bowls and an All-Pro. Bryant made two Pro Bowls.
Best Eighth Round Pick
1981. Wade Wilson, QB, East Texas State
Pickings are going to get slim from Best Eighth Round Pick to the Best Twentieth Round Pick. That’s one of the reasons there are only seven rounds now.
Wade Wilson is an easy pick as the Best Eight Round Pick in team history. He made 48 starts over his ten years in Minnesota. In 1988, he started ten games. He guided his team to a 7-3 record in those ten starts and was named to the Pro Bowl.
Best Ninth Round Pick
1977. Scott Studwell, LB, Illinois
No offense to Terry Allen and Brad Johnson, this decision is nearly as easy as picking Fran Tarkenton as the best of the third rounders.
Best Tenth Round Pick
Stu Voigt, TE, Wisconsin
Stu Voigt was the tight end of my youth. He was a reliable pass catcher and very good blocker. He was probably the Vikings best blocking tight end until Jim Kleinsasser came along.
Best Eleventh Round Pick
1961. Jerry Mays, DT, SMU
Jerry Mays had a terrific football career. Unfortunately, that terrific career was with the Kansas City Chiefs. Until the NFL-AFL merger agreement in 1966, there was an annual race to sign draft picks between the two leagues. The Vikings signed most of their draft picks but a couple got away. Mays was one of them. His ten year career with the Chiefs is littered with all-star games and All-Pro honors.
The best 11th round pick in Vikings franchise history is either Mays or Godfrey Zaunbecher. While it’s disappointing that Mays made a terrible decision in 1961, he’s an easy pick here.
Best Twelfth Round Pick
1986. Jesse Solomon, LB, Florida State
Just as Jesse Solomon was emerging as an impact player in the Vikings defense, he was shipped to Dallas in the ridiculous Herschel Walker trade. Solomon’s inclusion in that damn trade bothered me the moment it was made.
Best Thirteenth Round Pick
1965. Dave Osborn, RB, North Dakota
The NFL Draft dropped from 17 to 12 rounds in 1977. Dave Osborn is a real easy choice for best 13th round pick. He was named one of the 50 Greatest Vikings. His 972 yards in 1967 was a franchise record until Chuck Foreman took over.
Best Fourteenth Round Pick
1967. Jim Hargrove, LB, Howard Payne
Jim Hargrove gets the nod for hanging around for three seasons. No other fourteenth round pick lasted more than a single season.
Best Fifteenth Round Pick
1971. Jeff Wright, DB, Minnesota
Jeff Wright was the only contributor that came out of the dreadful 1971 draft. First round pick Leo Hayden and Wright were the only draft picks (out of 17 rounds!) that even made the team. Hayden is one of the Vikings all-time draft busts. At least they had Wright. He stepped into the Vikings secondary in 1973 after Karl Kassulke was paralyzed in a motorcycle accident as he was heading to training camp. Wright paired with the great Paul Krause from 1973-77 to form a solid safety duo.
Mike Mercer (1961) deserves mention for scoring the first points in Vikings franchise history.
Best Sixteenth Round Pick
None
No sixteenth round pick ever made the team.
Best Seventeenth Round Pick
1973. Dave Winfield, TE, Minnesota
In 1973, the Vikings took a 17th round flier on a local legend. Instead of playing football for his hometown team, Dave Winfield decided to go on to a Hall of Fame baseball career.
As for a 17th round pick that actually played for the Vikings, there’s Bob Lee (1968). He played in Minnesota for eight years with 11 starts. The Vikings were 9-2 in those 11 starts. Lee’s most memorable run as the Vikings quarterback ended in the 1977 NFC Championship game.
Best Eighteenth Round Pick
None
No eighteenth round pick ever made the team.
Best Nineteenth Round Pick
None
No nineteenth round pick ever made the team.
Best Twentieth Round Pick
1964. Milt Sunde, G, Minnesota
The Vikings opened the 1964 NFL Draft with Carl Eller in the first round and closed it with Milt Sunde in the twentieth. Both were selected out of the University of Minnesota. From 1964-74, Sunde started 112 games at guard. He had one Pro Bowl nod in 1966.
Best Minnesota Vikings Draft Picks By Round
Best First Round Pick
1967. Alan Page, DT, Notre Dame
13 Vikings players have busts in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Six of those players came to Minnesota by way of the first round.
Carl Eller (1964)
Alan Page (1967)
Ron Yary (1968)
Chris Doleman (1985)
Randall McDaniel (1988)
Randy Moss (1998)
Kevin Williams (2003) should join them one day. Adrian Peterson (2007) will be get a bust in a couple years. Harrison Smith (2012) is building a Hall argument. Justin Jefferson (2020) is currently on the right path. Any of them could be the pick here. Alan Page is my pick. Perhaps I’m a bit biased as he’s my favorite player from my six decades with the team. Even with that bias, picking the first defensive player to be named NFL MVP (1971) and one of the finest defensive tackles to ever play isn’t a questionable decision.
Best Second Round Pick
1974. Matt Blair, LB, Iowa State
It’s safe to say that the Vikings don’t have a strong second round history. I have Matt Blair as the best of the bunch. He had a terrific 15-year career in Minnesota. He earned six consecutive trips to the Pro Bowl and was named All-Pro in 1980. He was named one of the 50 Greatest Vikings and is inducted into the team’s Ring of Honor. The dedicated historians of the Pro Football Researchers Association inducted Blair into the Hall of Very Good. That’s the first stop of many players on their way to an eventual bust in Canton. I’m not sure if Matt Blair ever gets there but his career is worthy of Hall of Fame consideration as a Senior candidate.
Some of the second round contenders:
Ed White (1969)
Sammy White (1976)
Dennis Swilley (1977)
Orlando Thomas (1995)
Jim Kleinsasser (1999)
E.J. Henderson (2003)
Cedric Griffin (2007)
Phil Loadholt (2009)
Kyle Rudolph (2011)
Eric Kendricks (2015)
Dalvin Cook (2017)
Brian O’Neill (2018)
Best Third Round Pick
1961. Fran Tarkenton, QB, Georgia
The best third round pick in the franchise history of the Minnesota Vikings is without question.
Best Fourth Round Pick
2010. Everson Griffen, DE, USC
If Everson Griffen didn’t have to wait behind Jared Allen for his starting shot, his career would probably shine even brighter. Once he entered the starting lineup in 2014, he was one of the league’s best pass rushers. He was a terrific, fun football player.
Some of the fourth round contenders:
Roy Winston (1962)
Paul Flatley (1963)
Reggie Rutland (1987)
Mewelde Moore (2004)
Ray Edwards (2006)
Brian Robison (2007)
Camryn Bynum (2021)
Best Fifth Round Pick
1992. Ed McDaniel, LB, Clemson
The best fifth round pick in Vikings franchise history comes down to Ed McDaniel and Stefon Diggs. I’m going with McDaniel because he played well for longer in Minnesota than Diggs. Ed McDaniel is one of the more underrated players in team history. It didn’t help that he was often overlooked during his career. He was named to one Pro Bowl but should’ve gone to a few more. For much of the 1990s he was the Vikings best defensive player not named John Randle.
Best Sixth Round Pick
1998. Matt Birk, C, Harvard
Matt Birk is the only Vikings sixth round pick to make a sustained contribution. Next is probably the player that replaced him at center, John Sullivan. Drafted as an offensive tackle, Birk was soon moved to center. He became the starter in his third season and led one of the better offensive lines in team history for nearly a decade. He was a regular on the Pro Bowl roster, making it six times.
Josh Metellus is a current former sixth-round pick that could go on to a real nice career.
One of the biggest “what ifs” in Vikings franchise history is tight end Joe Senser. Drafted in the sixth round of the 1979 NFL Draft, he didn’t play as a rookie, showed promise in 1980, and exploded in 1981. 79 catches, 1004 yards, and eight touchdowns. This was an era in which tight ends were truly starting to emerge as offensive weapons. Kellen Winslow, Ozzie Newsome, and Dave Casper were starting or in the middle of their Hall of Fame careers. Senser entered their orbit in 1981. He had a modest season during the strike-shortened 1982 season and suffered a knee injury in 1983 that wiped out that season. He tried to return in 1984 but wasn’t the same and retired after the season. Just as he was emerging as one of the league’s best tight ends his career was over. It did clear the way for the best seventh-round pick in team history.
Best Seventh Round Pick
1982. Steve Jordan, TE, Brown
While I do like Steve Jordan as the best seventh round pick in team history, it’s not an easy decision. A couple corners make it difficult.
Bobby Bryant (1967)
Carl Lee (1983)
Any of Steve Jordan, Bobby Bryant, and Carl Lee could be the choice here. I have Jordan now but tomorrow I might lean toward Bryant. Anyway, those with a greater say than me on matters like this agree. Jordan is the only one of the three that’s been inducted into the Vikings Ring of Honor. He’s arguably the best tight end in franchise history. Just as Joe Senser was becoming a sad story of what might’ve been, Jordan was emerging as an impact player. 68 catches in 1985 and the first of six consecutive Pro Bowls in 1986. By comparison, Lee made three Pro Bowls and an All-Pro. Bryant made two Pro Bowls.
Best Eighth Round Pick
1981. Wade Wilson, QB, East Texas State
Pickings are going to get slim from Best Eighth Round Pick to the Best Twentieth Round Pick. That’s one of the reasons there are only seven rounds now.
Wade Wilson is an easy pick as the Best Eight Round Pick in team history. He made 48 starts over his ten years in Minnesota. In 1988, he started ten games. He guided his team to a 7-3 record in those ten starts and was named to the Pro Bowl.
Best Ninth Round Pick
1977. Scott Studwell, LB, Illinois
No offense to Terry Allen and Brad Johnson, this decision is nearly as easy as picking Fran Tarkenton as the best of the third rounders.
Best Tenth Round Pick
Stu Voigt, TE, Wisconsin
Stu Voigt was the tight end of my youth. He was a reliable pass catcher and very good blocker. He was probably the Vikings best blocking tight end until Jim Kleinsasser came along.
Best Eleventh Round Pick
1961. Jerry Mays, DT, SMU
Jerry Mays had a terrific football career. Unfortunately, that terrific career was with the Kansas City Chiefs. Until the NFL-AFL merger agreement in 1966, there was an annual race to sign draft picks between the two leagues. The Vikings signed most of their draft picks but a couple got away. Mays was one of them. His ten year career with the Chiefs is littered with all-star games and All-Pro honors.
The best 11th round pick in Vikings franchise history is either Mays or Godfrey Zaunbecher. While it’s disappointing that Mays made a terrible decision in 1961, he’s an easy pick here.
Best Twelfth Round Pick
1986. Jesse Solomon, LB, Florida State
Just as Jesse Solomon was emerging as an impact player in the Vikings defense, he was shipped to Dallas in the ridiculous Herschel Walker trade. Solomon’s inclusion in that damn trade bothered me the moment it was made.
Best Thirteenth Round Pick
1965. Dave Osborn, RB, North Dakota
The NFL Draft dropped from 17 to 12 rounds in 1977. Dave Osborn is a real easy choice for best 13th round pick. He was named one of the 50 Greatest Vikings. His 972 yards in 1967 was a franchise record until Chuck Foreman took over.
Best Fourteenth Round Pick
1967. Jim Hargrove, LB, Howard Payne
Jim Hargrove gets the nod for hanging around for three seasons. No other fourteenth round pick lasted more than a single season.
Best Fifteenth Round Pick
1971. Jeff Wright, DB, Minnesota
Jeff Wright was the only contributor that came out of the dreadful 1971 draft. First round pick Leo Hayden and Wright were the only draft picks (out of 17 rounds!) that even made the team. Hayden is one of the Vikings all-time draft busts. At least they had Wright. He stepped into the Vikings secondary in 1973 after Karl Kassulke was paralyzed in a motorcycle accident as he was heading to training camp. Wright paired with the great Paul Krause from 1973-77 to form a solid safety duo.
Mike Mercer (1961) deserves mention for scoring the first points in Vikings franchise history.
Best Sixteenth Round Pick
None
No sixteenth round pick ever made the team.
Best Seventeenth Round Pick
1973. Dave Winfield, TE, Minnesota
In 1973, the Vikings took a 17th round flier on a local legend. Instead of playing football for his hometown team, Dave Winfield decided to go on to a Hall of Fame baseball career.
As for a 17th round pick that actually played for the Vikings, there’s Bob Lee (1968). He played in Minnesota for eight years with 11 starts. The Vikings were 9-2 in those 11 starts. Lee’s most memorable run as the Vikings quarterback ended in the 1977 NFC Championship game.
Best Eighteenth Round Pick
None
No eighteenth round pick ever made the team.
Best Nineteenth Round Pick
None
No nineteenth round pick ever made the team.
Best Twentieth Round Pick
1964. Milt Sunde, G, Minnesota
The Vikings opened the 1964 NFL Draft with Carl Eller in the first round and closed it with Milt Sunde in the twentieth. Both were selected out of the University of Minnesota. From 1964-74, Sunde started 112 games at guard. He had one Pro Bowl nod in 1966.
