Daily Norseman
There haven’t been very many of them over the years
We’re getting ready for the start of the 2024 NFL Draft from Detroit, and we want to take a look back. . .since we’re killing time and we’re all rumored out at the moment. . .at what the Minnesota Vikings have done in past drafts with certain picks.
The biggest rumor of the pre-draft process for the purple thus far has been that they will be moving way up to draft a quarterback, perhaps even into the top five selections. The Vikings have never taken a quarterback higher than #11 overall, so if they do that it will be a history-making move for the franchise.
However, throughout their history, the Vikings have selected in the top 5 of the NFL Draft on six different occasions. How did those picks go for the team? Well, let’s take a walk down memory lane and see.
Mason was the first pick in franchise history, selected before the franchise had even taken the field. He wound up playing six seasons for Minnesota, rushing for 3,252 yards and 28 touchdowns in 70 career games with the Vikings. He then moved on to play for the Los Angeles Rams for four seasons and the Washington Redskins for a year before retiring following the 1971 season.
The Vikings have picked at #1 overall twice in franchise history, and neither time was connected to the team’s on-field performance. Tommy Mason, who we just talked about, was selected before the Vikings even played a game, and this selection was acquired by the Vikings in the trade that sent Fran Tarkenton to the New York Giants before the 1967 season. Yary wound up being the first offensive lineman ever to be selected at #1 overall and, as we all know, went on to a Hall of Fame career. He spent all but one season of that career in Minnesota, spending his last season with the Rams as a reserve player. I think you can label this pick a “hit.”
Jones was also taken with a selection from the Tarkenton trade and currently stands as the only #2 overall pick in franchise history. He spent six seasons with the Vikings, rushing for 2,008 yards and 19 touchdowns in 75 career games with the purple. He also finished his career elsewhere, as he moved on to play for the San Diego Chargers in 1973 and then retired from the NFL.
Dunaway was drafted by the Vikings with the third pick in the 1963 NFL Draft and never played a snap for the team, electing to go play for the Buffalo Bills of the AFL instead. He’s still the only #3 overall pick in franchise history.
Coming off of what was the worst season in franchise history, the Vikings still only managed to...
