The Minnesota Vikings went to four Super Bowls in the eight-year period from 1969-76, thanks to a balanced offense and the “Purple People Eaters” defensive line that featured Hall of Famers Alan Page and Carl Eller, as well as Pro Bowlers Jim Marshall and Gary Larsen. Minnesota’s offense was the catalyst for success in 1998. Led by quarterback Randall Cunningham and wide receiver Randy Moss, the Vikings set an all-time record with 556 points on their way to a 15-1 record and an appearance in the NFC Championship Game. The top draft pick on this list could run “All Day,” and nearly set the NFL’s single-season rushing record.
BEST
10. Kevin Williams, DT (Round 1, Pick 9 in 2003) - A three-year starter at Oklahoma State, Williams was a six-time Pro Bowler and a five-time All-Pro in 11 seasons with the Vikings. He made the All-Rookie Team after registering 10½ sacks as a rookie and set a career-high with 11½ the following year. He joined with Pat Williams to form the “Williams Wall” front that stopped opponents’ running games from 2005-10. Overall, his 60 sacks are tied for fifth in team history with Brian Robison. Williams spent one year each with the Seahawks and Saints before retiring in 2016. He now owns and runs a trucking company.
9. Scott Studwell, LB (Round 9, Pick 250 in 1977) - Studwell was a tackle machine at Illinois, following in the footsteps of legendary Bears linebacker Dick Butkus, who was drafted in 1965. Although tackles were not an official NFL statistic during his career, Studwell’s 1,981 unofficial stops would be the most in team history by a good margin (Chad Greenway holds the official record with 1,103). Studwell spent his entire 14-year career in Minnesota and was selected to a pair of Pro Bowls. He also has 16 fumble recoveries, 11 interceptions and nine sacks in 201 career games. Studwell retired in 1990 and joined the team’s scouting department the following year. He rose to the position of Director of College Scouting before he retired from the front office in 2019.
8. Ron Yary, T (Round 1, Pick 1 in 1968) - Yary was a two-time All-American in 1966 and 1967, and he also won the Outland Trophy as the country’s best interior lineman in USC’s 1967 National Championship season. He became Minnesota’s second top overall pick (the Vikings selected Tulane running back Tommy Mason first in 1961) and spent the next 14 years anchoring the offensive line in the Twin Cities. During his time with the Vikings, Yary was selected to seven straight Pro Bowls from 1971 to 1977 and six straight All-Pro teams from 1971 to ’76, while also leading the team to four Super Bowl appearances. He signed with the Rams for one season and retired in 1983. Yary was selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2001.
7. Randall McDaniel, G (Round 1, Pick 19 in 1988) - McDaniel was a star at Arizona State, winning the Morris Trophy, which is awarded to the best interior lineman in the Pac-10, in 1987. He was selected to 11 straight Pro Bowls with Minnesota from 1989-99 and was a seven-time All-Pro. McDaniel started 188 regular season games at left tackle for the Vikings and 13 more in the playoffs, including the 1998 NFC Championship Game. He signed with the Buccaneers in 2000 and spent two seasons in Tampa Bay before he retired. The 2009 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee and NFL100 team member now works with elementary school children in Minnesota and opened a home for children in South Africa.
6. Randy Moss, WR (Round 1, Pick 21 in 1998) - Moss was part of Marshall’s Division I-AA title team in 1996, and earned enough awards to fill a trophy case the following year. His 1997 season honors included an All-American Selection, the Mid-American Conference MVP and Offensive Player of the Year, the Biletnikoff Award, and he also finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting. Moss earned the nicknamed “The Freak” from his teammates in Minnesota after posting at least 1,200 yards receiving in each of his first six seasons. He was a five-time Pro Bowler and a three-time All-Pro, who led the league in touchdowns three times during his Vikings tenure, including a rookie record 17 in 1998, which earned him Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. Moss was traded to Oakland in 2005 and then New England in 2007, where he was a Pro Bowler and an All-Pro that season after setting an NFL record with 23 receiving touchdowns. That same year, the Patriots went 16-0 in the regular season and reached Super Bowl XLII. Moss was traded back to Minnesota in 2010, but feuded with coach Brad Childress and was released. He signed with Tennessee for the rest of the season and briefly retired for the 2011 season before signing with the 49ers for one more year in 2012. Moss ranks second in team history with 587 receptions, 9,316 yards and 92 touchdowns. He is also second on the all-time list with 156 scores and fourth with 15,292 yards. The 2018 Hall of Famer and NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team member is now an analyst with ESPN.
Despite his accolades on the field, Moss had a few issues outside of football. He was originally slated to go to Notre Dame before getting involved with a racially charged fight in high school that resulted in him spending 30 days in jail. He transferred to Florida State, but never played for the Seminoles because he tested positive for marijuana in 1996, leading to his dismissal from the school. Moss also admitted to smoking the drug throughout his pro career. He also bumped into an officer in 2002 while trying to make an illegal turn in downtown Minneapolis.
5. Fran Tarkenton, QB (Round 3, Pick 29 in 1961) - Tarkenton was a two-time All-SEC selection in 1959 and 1960 with Georgia, and he chose to sign with the Vikings instead of the Patriots, who selected him in the fifth round of the AFL Draft. Tarkenton spent the first six years of his career with the Vikings, earning two Pro Bowl selections. He was traded to the Giants in 1967, and there made four straight Pro Bowls. Tarkenton was traded back to Minnesota in 1972, and he led the Vikings to three Super Bowls in seven seasons. He also made three more Pro Bowls and earned his only All-Pro selection after leading the NFL with 25 touchdown passes in 1975. He retired after leading the league with 3,468 yards in 1978. Tarkenton tops the team list with 33,098 passing yards and 239 touchdowns. Ahead of his time, he set the franchise mark among quarterbacks with 2,548 rushing yards and earned the nickname “The Scrambler.” Since his retirement, the 1986 Pro Football Hall of Famer has been an author and run several business ventures.
4. Chris Doleman, DE (Round 1, Pick 4 in 1985) - Doleman was a Pitt graduate who spent the first nine years of his NFL career in Minnesota. He ranks first in team history with 31 forced fumbles, second with 96½ sacks and third with 749 solo tackles. Doleman was a six-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro with the Vikings, including 1989, when he led the league with 21 sacks. He signed with the Falcons in 1994 and spent two years in Atlanta, and then three more in San Francisco before returning to Minnesota for an eight-sack campaign in 1999. The 2012 Pro Football Hall of Famer is fifth in NFL history with 150½ sacks. Doleman was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer called glioblastoma in 2018, and he died from the disease in late January.
3. Carl Eller, DE (Round 1, Pick 6 in 1965) - Eller was a two-time All-American at the University of Minnesota (1962 and ’63). He spent 15 seasons with the Vikings, earning six Pro Bowl and five All-Pro selections. Although sacks were not recorded by the NFL until 1982, Eller was unofficially credited with 133½, including 15 each in 1969 and ’77. “Moose” played in all four of Minnesota’s Super Bowl appearances and had 10½ sacks in 19 playoff games before he was traded to Seattle for one final season in 1979. After his playing career, Eller used his own struggles with drugs to help the league develop substance abuse policies. However, his demons resurfaced, and he was charged with DUI in 2006 and assault two years later. He now runs the NFL Legends Community, which helps former players find available benefits.
2. Alan Page, DT (Round 1, Pick 15 in 1967) - Page was an All-American for Notre Dame in 1966 and played on two National Championship teams in 1964 and 1966. He joined Eller on the “Purple People Eater” defense that dominated the NFL throughout the 1970s and reached four Super Bowls. Page was selected to nine straight Pro Bowls from 1968 to 1976, and was also on six All-Pro teams. He was unofficially credited with 108½ sacks in 12 years in Minnesota, including six seasons in double-figures and a high of 18 in 1976. He was the first defensive player to win the MVP Award, and he also earned Pro Bowl, All-Pro and Defensive Player of the Year honors in 1971. The Vikings traded Page to the Bears during the 1978 season, and he spent his final four years in Chicago before retiring in 1981. The 1988 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee was the NFL’s version of an iron man, appearing in all of his team’s 218 regular season games. After his playing career, he was a football commentator before becoming an attorney and later, a justice on the Minnesota Supreme Court.
1. Adrian Peterson, RB (Round 1, Pick 7 in 2007) - A high school star in football, basketball, and track in Texas, Peterson was a three-time All-Big 12 and a two-time All-American at Oklahoma. His accolades as a professional include seven Pro Bowl and four All-Pro selections, seven 1,000-yard and eight double-digit touchdown seasons. “All Day” led the NFL in rushing yards three times, including 2,097 in 2012, which led to MVP, Offensive Player of the Year and Comeback Player of the Year honors. The total is the second-highest single-season mark in league history. Peterson is Minnesota’s all-time leader by a wide margin with 11,747 rushing yards and 97 scoring runs. He signed with the Saints in 2017, but was traded to the Cardinals after just four games. Peterson has had a resurgence with the Redskins the past two years, running for 1,940 yards and 12 touchdowns. Despite his return to prominence as a rusher, Peterson faced plenty of backlash after he was found to have aggressively disciplined his young son in 2014.
WORST
10. (tie) Clint Jones, RB (Round 1, Pick 2 in 1967), Leo Hayden, RB (Round 1, Pick 24 in 1971) and Michael Bennett, RB (Round 1, Pick 27 in 2001) - Jones was a two-time All-American and a star on Michigan State National Championship teams in 1965 and 1966. He spent six years in Minnesota, mostly as a kick returner, although he ran for nine touchdowns in 1970. Jones signed with San Diego and spent one year with the Chargers before retiring in 1973. He is a member of The Pigskin Club of Washington, D.C.,
Hayden was an Ohio State product who played on the Buckeyes’ National Championship team in 1968. He had 14 combined touches in three NFL seasons, none with the Vikings in his rookie season, the only one with the team. He signed with the Cardinals and played with them the following two years. After beating his own drug addiction, Hayden became the director of the Orleans Parish Prison re-entry program, which helps inmates in the New Orleans area.
Bennett was a football and track star at Wisconsin, where he backed up 1999 Heisman Trophy winner and future New York Giant Ron Dayne. Although he ran for 1,296 yards and earned a Pro Bowl selection in 2002, Bennett also dealt with a nagging foot injury that reduced his production considerably in later years. He spent time with the Chiefs, Buccaneers, Chargers, and Raiders, but a hip injury sustained in 2009 caused him to retire after the following season. Bennett was sentenced to five years in prison for burglary and identity theft in 2017.
9. Archie Sutton, T (Round 2, Pick 15 in 1965) - Sutton played tackle at Illinois alongside future Bears Hall of Famer Dick Butkus, who was a center and a linebacker in college. Sutton played just 19 games overall in three seasons with the Vikings before retiring in 1967. After his playing career, he was an Education Specialist for the State of Minnesota and also was a coach and official for football and softball. Sutton passed away in 2015.
8. Derrick Alexander, DE (Round 1, Pick 11 in 1995) - Alexander played at Florida State and was named ACC Defensive Player of the Year in 1994. He was picked before future Pro Bowlers Warren Sapp, Hugh Douglas, and Luther Elliss, but amassed just 17½ sacks in four years with Minnesota, including a high of 7½ in 1998. Alexander spent his final season with Cleveland in 2000. He was a football coach at Bishop McLaughlin Catholic High School from 2011-13.
7. D. J. Dozier, RB (Round 1, Pick 14 in 1987) - Dozier was an All-American in 1986 and scored the winning touchdown in Penn State’s Fiesta Bowl victory over Miami that earned the Nittany Lions the 1987 National Championship. He spent four of his five professional seasons with the Vikings, totaling 643 yards and seven touchdowns from 1987-90. Dozier played, but was held in check during Minnesota’s loss to Washington in the 1988 NFC Championship Game, gaining -2 yards. After a year with Detroit in 1991, he left the NFL to focus on his baseball career. Dozier hit .191 in 25 games with the Mets in 1992, his only big league season. Since his retirement in 1993, he has done missionary work, and also was a financial planner and consultant.
6. Jerry Shay, DT (Round 1, Pick 7 in 1966) - Jerome “Jerry” Shay was an All-American defensive tackle with Purdue in 1965. He played two seasons each with the Vikings, Falcons, and Giants before retiring in 1971. He appeared in 15 games with Minnesota, including just one in 1967, before he was traded to the Falcons. After his playing career, Shay was a longtime scout with the Giants, and became the team’s Director of College Scouting.
5. Laquon Treadwell, WR (Round 1, Pick 23 in 2016) - Treadwell was a high school All-American in 2012. He then won SEC Freshman of the year in 2013 at Mississippi, and was an All-SEC recipient two years later. Treadwell came very highly rated heading into the 2016 Draft, and he became “Megaquan” as a play on Detroit’s Calvin Johnson, who was called “Megatron.” Treadwell had exactly one reception in nine games during his rookie season, and had totaled just 65 catches for 701 yards and two touchdowns in four years. He signed with Atlanta during the offseason.
4. Erasmus James, DE (Round 1, Pick 18 in 2005) - The Wisconsin product had a banner year with the Badgers as a senior in 2004. His awards included All-American, Big Ten Defensive Lineman and Defensive Player of the Year, First-team All-Big Ten and the Ted Hendricks Award as the nation’s top defensive end. James had a solid rookie season with four sacks in 15 games, but he had just one more sack over the rest of his four-year career. He suffered a torn left ACL in 2006, and reinjured the knee the following season. After one year with the Redskins, he retired in 2008. The following year, he was arrested for battery at a Minnesota bar, and earned a felony conviction after skipping anger management classes.
3. Troy Williamson, WR (Round 1, Pick 7 in 2005) - Williamson was a track and football star in high school, and played in college at South Carolina. He was drafted to replace Randy Moss, who had been traded to the Raiders before the Draft in 2005. Williamson had no problem outrunning defenders, but he did have trouble with drops in the NFL. He played three seasons in Minnesota, registering 79 catches for 1,067 yards and three touchdowns. Williamson caught just eight passes in two years after being traded to the Jaguars, and he retired before the 2010 season. He founded the Fighting Against the O.D.D.S. Foundation, which focuses on youth learning and physical activity.
2. Christian Ponder, QB (Round 1, Pick 12 in 2011) - Ponder started three years at Florida State and won the James Tatum Award as the nation’s best student-athlete in 2010. However, he separated his shoulder as a junior in 2009 and suffered several elbow injuries the following year. With the Vikings, Ponder took over for the struggling Donovan McNabb and started in Minnesota for most of the next three years before suffering a fractured rib in 2013. He lost his starting spot to Teddy Bridgewater in 2014, and the Vikings let him leave as a free agent after the season. Ponder had tryouts with the Raiders and Broncos in 2015 and the 49ers the following year, but retired in 2016 with a 14-21-1 record, 6,658 passing yards, and 38 touchdowns. He married ESPN host and reporter Samantha Steele in 2012 and the couple has three children.
1. Dimetrius Underwood, DE (Round 1, Pick 29 in 1999) - Underwood played at Michigan State under Nick Saban in the late 1990s, but it was there that the psychological issues that would plague him throughout his football career began to arise. In his freshman year with the Spartans, his father succumbed to leukemia. Despite missing his senior season due to a sprained right ankle, Underwood decided to enter the 1999 NFL Draft. He signed a five-year contract with the Vikings, then left on the second day of training camp, saying his heart wasn’t in football. Minnesota released him, but he decided to return two weeks later and was claimed by the Dolphins. Underwood suffered a dislocated left shoulder, showed a lack of focus, and was arrested for failure to pay child support. He was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and spent two months at a psychiatric care facility before escaping, leading to his release by Miami. Underwood finally got on the field after signing with Dallas in 2000. He had four sacks in 19 games before his bipolar disorder took over again, causing the Cowboys to release him in 2001. Underwood has been out of football since a failed tryout with the CFL’s Ottawa Renegades in 2005. His medical issues have brought about trouble with the law, and led to him staying out of the public spotlight.
All NFL statistics and awards courtesy of https://www.pro-football-reference.com/ and college football statistics and awards courtesy of https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/
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