15 Vikings Draft Factoids — with the Draft 15 Days Out
The 2024 NFL Draft is 15 days away, and we have you covered from a random knowledge standpoint.
15 Vikings Draft Factoids — with the Draft 15 Days Out
Of course, the information will be quasi-useful, with most knowledge tidbits specifically applicable to this year’s Minnesota Vikings.
The franchise has nine picks in Detroit between April 25th and April 27th, equipped with two 1st-Rounders via trade with the Houston Texans on March 15th. Most fans expect the club to obtain a franchise quarterback after Kirk Cousins left in March.
In no particular order, here goes —
1 – The Vikings haven’t picked this high — No. 11 on the board — since 2015. It’s been almost a decade, and the last time Minnesota chose at this section on the draftboard, it ended up with cornerback Trae Waynes of Michigan State.
2 – These quarterbacks have been drafted from North Carolina, the same school as Drake Maye, the player most Vikings fans want from the draft:
- Sam Howell
- Mitchell Trubisky
- T.J. Yates
3 – The last time Minnesota drafted a quarterback in Rounds 1 or 2 was 10 years ago. His name was Teddy Bridgewater, and he lasted two seasons as a Viking. Injuries ruined it. Bridgewater retired a few months ago, incidentally.
4 – The Vikings have never spent Top 10 draft capital on a quarterback — ever. The Ravens and Broncos are the only other teams sharing this history. And the Broncos are a bit misleading because they traded for John Elway in 1983, the first overall pick. Baltimore has only been around since the mid-1990s. Minnesota is one of a kind.
5 – Minnesota hasn’t drafted an EDGE rusher in Rounds 1 or 2 since 2005. Erasmus James.
6 – Last year, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah drafted zero linebackers and zero offensive linemen in the draft, the first time that’s happened in Vikings history.
7 – J.J. McCarthy is a popular draft target for Vikings fans. To date, Minnesota has drafted three players in franchise history from Michigan:
- Tripp Welbourne (DB, 1992)
- Ben Gedeon (LB, 2017)
- Josh Metellus (S, 2020)
8 – No team with Kwesi Adofo-Mensah in the front office has ever drafted a QB before Round 3.
9 – While Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was employed in San Francisco for eight drafts, the 49ers drafted six defensive linemen from 2013 to 2020. At some point, the Vikings will probably start drafting defensive linemen early in the event.
10 – The Vikings haven’t drafted a quarterback who started at the position for more than six seasons in 47 years. They last appeared in a Super Bowl 48 years ago.
11 – Minnesota has drafted 7 WRs in Round 1 since 1998, and those men have 14 Pro Bowls among them.
12 – These are the QBs drafted since 2005, when one team trades into the Top 10 from outside of the Top 10:
- Trey Lance (2021)
- Josh Rosen (2018)
- Josh Allen (2018)
- Patrick Mahomes (2017)
- Jared Goff (2016)
- Blaine Gabbert (2011)
- Mark Sanchez (2009)
13 – The Vikings have drafted 10 QBs in the last 30 years.
- John David Booty
- Teddy Bridgewater
- Daunte Culpepper
- Jaren Hall
- Tarvaris Jackson
- Chad May
- Kellen Mond
- Christian Ponder
- Nate Stanley
- Tyler Thigpen
14 – In the 20 NFL Drafts between 1996-2015, 50 QBs were drafted in Round 1.
- 40% Reached at least 1 Pro Bowl
- Average time as a starter = 5.7 seasons
- 4 out of 50 became All-Pro
15 – The frontrunner to land with the Vikings on draft night is J.J. McCarthy (+115).
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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