VT QOTW: First Round NFL Draft Memories

Sharrif Floyd
Image courtesy of Vikings.com

The 2016 NFL Draft is less than a month away, making now the perfect time to reflect on prior draft day experiences. To celebrate the peak of the offseason, I’ve asked the Vikings Territory team to share their favorite first round memories and recall the one moment in Minnesota Vikings draft history that stands out in their minds.

What’s your favorite Minnesota Vikings draft night (Round 1) memory?

Brett: The 2014 NFL Draft

It was a well-known fact prior to the 2014 Draft that the Vikings desperately needed a quarterback. Okay, fine… It was a well-known fact long before the 2014 Draft that the Vikings desperately needed a quarterback. In the months prior to the draft, I meticulously watched and reviewed at least a dozen prospects – searching for who I thought would be the best fit for the Vikings. I had my guy: Teddy Bridgewater. And I pounded the [coffee] table for him long before that fateful May 8th, 2014.

Before it was cool to defend Teddy in the wake of doubters and non-believers, I was arguing with my neighbor over whether or not he could be a franchise quarterback in the NFL. “Yeah, but did you see his Pro Day? The guy doesn’t have an arm!” “Have you watched the tape?,” I would reply. The answer was no, he hadn’t. But I had. And I knew Teddy was our best option and the best quarterback prospect to enter the draft since Andrew Luck two years prior. I wanted him at pick number. eight.

As we know, that didn’t happen. The Vikings shocked a lot of people when they decided to select Anthony Barr with the ninth overall selection (after trading back one spot with, of course, the Cleveland Browns.) In retrospect, it was an excellent selection, however, I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was a tad disappointed; disappointed because I wanted Teddy. I had already made up my mind. And at that point, I was convinced we had missed out – someone would grab him before we were back on the clock.

But he kept falling…and falling. Eventually, I knew, given Rick Spielman’s history of trading back into the first, that we had another chance. Then there were rumors that we were trying to trade up into the twenties for a quarterback, who some believe now to be Johnny Manziel. It never happened though, and when Seattle was on the clock at pick 32, I had pretty much lost hope.

And then it happened. “The Seattle Seahawks have traded the last pick in the first round to the Minnesota Vikings.” Immediately, I turned to my neighbor, the same guy I previously defended Teddy from, and said, “We got him.” Before the pick was announced, I already knew. I told everyone in the room, “We got Teddy.”

Ultimately, the jury is still out on Teddy. I say that as one of the biggest Bridgewater supporters around (and the creator of the Teddy Bridgewater Fan Club!). Personally, I think he’s the guy but I’d be lying if I said the case was closed. But the drama and excitement of watching the Vikings end the 2014 NFL Draft by trading back up at the last possible second to grab the guy I wanted most? I’ll never forget it.

Carl: The 2013 NFL Draft

The Vikings started the night with two first-round picks, so naturally, I was a little more jacked up than normal to get the ball rolling. I remember being very high on CB Desmond Trufant and WR DeAndre Hopkins as potential picks at 23 and pick 25, but unexpectedly the night took a different “Rhode.” Trufant came off the board one pick ahead of the Vikings, but I was okay because Xavier Rhodes and DeAndre Hopkins were still available.

However, the plan to select a top CB and a top WR became side-tracked as Sharrif Floyd, a top-10 talent, was still available. Floyd was too good to pass up and the Vikings made him the 23rd selection. The Vikings quickly grabbed Rhodes two picks later. I was pretty excited that Rhodes had fallen to the Vikings, but I was also feeling empty-handed without a wide receiver.

My heart broke as Hopkins was selected 27th by the Texans. I contemplated shutting the TV off and going to bed, but as a true die-hard, I stuck it out. To my surprise, the Vikings traded with the Patriots and got back into the first round to select Cordarrelle Patterson with the 29th overall pick. The Vikings didn’t land the players I had anticipated, yet at the time I was excited and overjoyed that my team had somehow managed to exceed my expectations.

Brent: The 1998 NFL Draft

For a very simple reason: Randy Moss, The Freak. The man who completely changed the Vikings offensive game plan and turned the league on it’s head in amazement.

There was so much drama surrounding Moss prior and during the draft and I knew there was a chance he’d fall to the Vikings with the 21st pick. Sure enough, he did, and Moss vowed to make the other 20 teams regret not drafting him. He certainly did that by becoming the Rookie of the Year and Pro Bowl Starter after scoring 17 touchdowns. Moss and the Vikings were seemingly always trying to mend a rocky relationship, but there is no doubting Moss was worth the pick and I’d argue the trouble for his production on the field.

Adam P.: The 1998 NFL Draft

It has to be Randy Moss, does it not? Not only is it my favorite memory of a Vikings draft, it was likely my first Minnesota draft memory. I remember it fondly, back in the day when I had a sweet bowl cut and listened to the Vikings draft Moss over the radio. Right away, I thought Minnesota had acquired the steal of the draft.

I was just getting into football at this point and I remember seeing highlights of Moss during the Heisman ceremony a few months earlier. He caught my eye right away with a playing style that had never been seen before. Eighteen years later, he is still my favorite player to have ever put on a Vikings uniform.

Sam: The 2014 NFL Draft

The draft has been like a holiday for me since I can remember. Before the internet, I would set up text alerts on my mom’s flip phone, so it would get a message every time a pick was made. Every pick. For every round. She about killed me.

But one of my favorite memories is of a recent draft: 2014. I was at my brother’s draft party, and most of the room was rooting for Manziel at number nine. When the Vikings took Anthony Barr, the room went completely silent—anger, frustration, disbelief. So you see what kind of football IQ was at the party that night. But I had some good bourbon and reminded myself of Barr’s impressive stats in his short time as a defensive player, and before long meandered home to retire for the evening.

Then, an hour later, the real excitement happened. I was sitting on the couch not even watching the draft—the Vikings were done for the night—when a text from my brother came in: “WE GOT HIM.” I scrambled to a TV and learned about the trade back into the first round to take Teddy Bridgewater at 32. I was elated to have a quarterback. Looking back, 2014 might go down as one of the best first rounds in team history. Not only getting Barr and Bridgewater, but NOT getting Manziel, at a time when so many fans were clamoring for him.

Lindsey YoungThe 2014 NFL Draft

The night we drafted Teddy Bridgewater stands out the most to me, mostly because I was so excited about him as a player and really felt like he would make a good fit for the Vikings. Leading up to that day, I had engaged in debates with several friends who wanted Minnesota to take Johnny Manziel over Bridgewater. At that point, at least in my friend group, I was definitely the minority.

I got nervous as the Vikings’ pick came up, but I liked them taking Anthony Barr at No. 9 (and am still grateful for that choice!). When Manziel went off the board, I received a number of angry texts from friends saying the Vikings had lost out, but I continued to get excited. When they traded with Seattle to close out the first round by selecting Bridgewater, I exploded off the couch and started cheering … much to the confusion of my roommate, who is not a football fan.

Now with two years under his belt, I can’t wait to see what Bridgewater does in 2016 with a bolstered offensive line and a brand new, indoor stadium. SKOL!

Matt Falk, Draft Season: The 2004 NFL Draft

So many to chose from… The one that sticks out the most probably goes back to 2004. The Vikings were in desperate need of a defensive end and there were really only two that where worthy of a 1st-round pick — Ohio State’s Will Smith and USC’s Kenechi Udeze.

With the Vikings sitting at pick 19, it was pretty far fetched that either would be around when they were on the clock, as both were projected as top-10 picks. But sure enough, as the the 1st round started to get into the teens, they were both still sitting there, and we watched as guys like Shawn Andrews, Michael Clayton, and Tommie Harris came off the board. Suddenly, it didn’t seem impossible that the Vikings could get their hands on one of these guys.

When pick 18 rolled around with the Saints, both were still on the board, and New Orleans sniped Smith, but I didn’t care, we still had a shot at Udeze, who I actually preferred. To add even more suspense when the Vikings officially got on the clock at pick 19, they traded back a pick with Miami, who thankfully took Vernon Carey.

Finally, the time had come, and Minnesota snapped up Udeze without thinking twice. The Lupagus and I rejoiced and were convinced we just got the next NFL sack leader for years to come. Unfortunately, we all know that Udeze’s career was cut short due to a battle with leukemia, but damn it, I’ll never forget that 1st round.

Nik Edlund, Draft Season: The 2012 NFL Draft

I think most of us may be taking the Kevin Williams debacle of 2003, but for me, I’m going to go with when the Vikings took Matt Kalil in 2012. This wasn’t just a Draft night memory for me, but really, an entire Draft Day memory. The rumors were flying fast and furious about as early as 10 AM, that glorious Thursday.

The rumblings were that the Vikings were going to take CB Morris Claiborne with the third overall pick. I remember being furious at this, because though I was a fan of Claiborne, I thought three was too high for him. Plus, our need at left tackle was much greater than our need for a corner. Throughout the day, I recall checking Rotoworld over and over again for the latest news and had NFL Network streaming constantly in the background. As we got closer and closer to the start of the Draft, the rumors were intensifying.

Some media outlets like Pro Football Talk were pretty much calling it a lock that Claiborne was going No. 3 overall to the Purple. I remember talking back and forth with Onebar, and telling him that the Vikings were bluffing and that they would take Kalil. I remember him also wanting Kalil, but he bought into the talk and was already planning to order his Claiborne jersey. That year, we were meeting at a condo on Lake Superior to watch the first round with a bunch of the Draftseason family. I remember arriving there, and all the talk and buzz was whether or not the Vikings were going to take Claiborne.  Some were convinced, while others like myself, were solidly on the Matt Kalil train.

Then the Draft started, and Luck went first and then RG3 like many expected. We nervously watched the time tick down as the Vikings were closer and closer to making their choice. Then, the Vikings helmet in the corner turned to a Browns helmet, and we all let out a collective gasp. The Browns took Trent Richardson, and we were back on the clock. I remember Gruden and Kiper talking about Kalil and Claiborne, and I think they were all thinking it was going to be Claiborne.

A few of us were yelling back at the TV for Kalil, and then the timer stopped and the “PICK IS IN” graphic came rolling across the bottom of the screen. I remember being in the middle of a Onebar and Skinny sandwich as we all stared at the screen and watched the commissioner walk out and announce the pick. I closed my eyes, and when I heard, “WITH THE 4TH PICK IN THE 2012 NFL DRAFT, THE MINNESOTA VIKINGS SELECT…..MATT KALIL,” we all screamed in celebration, and then proceeded to awkwardly chest bump each other.

What made this pick so much fun was that the rumors started so early that day and there was just a buzz of electricity surrounding the Vikings and the third overall pick. With the first two picks basically being locks, it was almost like being on the clock the entire day.  It was a blast monitoring that situation and all the rumors and talk surrounding it. It was also very well-played by Rick Spielman, and he even got the Browns to jump up a spot, getting us and an extra pick in the deal.

Austin: The 2013 NFL Draft

Rich Eisen coined the term “Sports Blackout.” It refers to avoiding sports altogether, from shutting off your cell phone to ignoring the constant stream of news on NFL Network. On Draft night in 2013, I was forced to enter sports blackout, as I couldn’t be home for that year’s festivities.

As I sat at dinner with my sister, my phone called to me: “Check the picks, Austin, see who the Vikings drafted.” But I resisted, and my sister checked instead, toying with my anxious mind while she stared at the screen and laughed. We finished dinner, and by the time I arrived at home, the first round was over.

Alone, without Twitter or the company of my Minnesotan uncle, I turned on the recording and watched as the Vikings drafted not one, not two, but three first round picks! I screamed when Xavier Rhodes took the stage, stood up from my couch when Floyd fell to the Vikings, and ran around the silent house as soon as Cordarrelle Patterson’s name was called.

The hours of waiting were excruciating, but the result more than made up for the worried anticipation. Rick Spielman and his front office delivered one of the most memorable first rounds in recent memory, adding three significant players to a budding, talented roster.

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