Daily Norseman
And there were a lot of picks
We’ve got yet another re-draft of sorts, courtesy of the folks from ESPN, and its pretty unique concept has a lot of purple on it.
Ben Solak of ESPN went through NFL Draft history and determined the best draft pick in NFL history at every draft slot in the “common era,” all the way from #1 overall to #262 overall. That era stretches from 1967 to 2024, so there was obviously quite a bit of work that went into this. So, we’ll take a brief look at all of the members of the Minnesota Vikings who made the cut.
In the first round, Vikings’ draft picks appear four times, starting with Adrian Peterson at #7 overall.
The last non-quarterback to win the MVP award, Peterson led the league in rushing yardage three times in his career: 2008, 2012 and 2015. That’s a testament to both his excellence — the next most recent players with at least three seasons of league-leading production are Barry Sanders and Emmitt Smith — and his longevity. Three times over an eight-year span!
“All Day” was my pick over Champ Bailey, but watch out for Josh Allen. He and Peterson have the same number of MVP trophies and Super Bowl appearances ... for now.
The next one is a no-brainer, as Hall of Famer Alan Page checks in at the #15 pick.
The lone Hall of Famer selected with the 15th pick and our oldest player in Round 1, Page rocks. He was the only defensive player to win MVP besides Lawrence Taylor, and he did it before him. He went to Notre Dame and the University of Minnesota after retirement, got his law degree and became an associate justice on the Minnesota Supreme Court. This shouldn’t really matter in the “best draft pick” debate, but it makes it an even more fun pick.
Next is another obvious one at #21, as another Hall of Famer drafted by the Vikings shows up. I’m speaking, of course, of Randy Moss.
Moss’ dominance came not in the form of yardage (26th all time in receiving yards per game), but in scoring (his 156 TD receptions are second all time). He led the league in receiving touchdowns five times and set the single-season record with his 23 scores for the Patriots in 2007. He gets the bump for being an iconic, culture-defining player as well.
The last Viking to appear in the first round on Solak’s list is still active, as it appears Justin Jefferson is already the best player in NFL history to be drafted at #22 overall.
Thank goodness there were no Hall of Famers to snub with the 22nd pick, making Jefferson an even easier selection for me. Never forget that Jefferson holds the record for most receiving yards through two seasons of a player’s career (3,016) — as well as through three seasons (4,825), four seasons (5,899) and five seasons (7,432). Guess...
