Vikings Draft: Every Player the Vikings Have Selected with the 23rd Overall Pick
Josh Frey
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For the third time in the past four years, the Minnesota Vikings are set to hold the 23rd overall pick in the NFL Draft.
This time around, they managed to swing a trade with the Houston Texans to acquire the selection, sending them a package which included No. 42 as well as their 2025 second-round pick. Of course, the Vikings could very well not make a selection with this pick as they are widely expected to trade up for a quarterback.
If Minnesota does opt to make a selection with this pick yet again, though, here is a look at every player who have been a part of a Vikings draft class with the 23rd overall pick.
WR Lance Rentzel (1965)
Back when the 23rd overall pick was actually part of the second round of the NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings made their first ever selection at the position by taking WR Lance Rentzel out of Oklahoma. The Sooner product was Minnesota’s third pick of that year’s draft, and ultimately, his Vikings career didn’t amount to much.
Rentzel spent a total of two seasons with the Vikings, and he appeared in a grand total of 20 games but only caught two passes over that time, both coming in 1966. Following that 1966 season, the wide receiver left the team and headed to the Dallas Cowboys where he instantly became one of the better receivers in the league.
In 1967, Rentzel caught 58 passes for 996 yards and 8 touchdowns. In all, he played nine seasons in the NFL, splitting time between the Vikings, Cowboys, and Los Angeles Rams. He ended his career with a total of 268 receptions, 4826 yards, and 38 touchdowns over the course of 115 games.
DT Sharrif Floyd (2013)
It took the Vikings nearly 50 years to select another player with the 23rd overall pick, but when they did, they landed a very promising defensive tackle in Sharrif Floyd from the Florida Gators program. Floyd was one of three first-round selections by the Vikings in 2013, joining CB Xavier Rhodes and RB Cordarrelle Patterson.
Floyd’s NFL career got off to a very productive start, and he recorded 95 tackles, 13 TFLs, 9.5 sacks, and a forced fumble over his first three seasons in Minnesota from 2013-15. Unfortunately, his career would come to a rather sad end when he suffered a knee injury in 2016 and only played Week 1. Then, in March 2017, it was revealed that he had suffered nerve damage from the injury and following surgery, and he never suited up in the NFL again.
WR Laquon Treadwell (2016)
After taking a very long hiatus from the 23rd overall pick between their first and second selections at the position, it was only a few years after selecting Floyd that Minnesota once again found themselves drafting at No. 23. This time around, they again took a WR, selecting Laquon Treadwell out of Ole Miss.
Treadwell was one of the more productive wide receivers in college football during his stint with the Rebels, recording 82 receptions, 1153 yards, and 11 TDs in his final season. However, that production never translated to the NFL level.
The wide receiver spent four seasons with the Vikings, recording a grand total of 65 receptions, 701 receiving yards, and 2 touchdowns. After leaving for the Atlanta Falcons in 2020, Treadwell has spent the past four years bouncing around the league.
LT Christian Darrisaw (2021)
In 2021, after losing Riley Reiff in free agency, the Vikings went into the draft with a major need at left tackle. GM Rick Spielman made one of the best trades of his career to move down the draft board to No. 23 and selected Christian Darrisaw out of Virginia Tech.
Darrisaw has had a few injury struggles over his first three NFL seasons, but when he is on the field, the left tackle has been one of the more talented players at the left tackle position.
WR Jordan Addison (2023)
Finally, the Minnesota Vikings made their fifth and most recent selection at No. 23 last spring when they took WR Jordan Addison to replace Adam Thielen in their offense. Addison burst onto the scene with a fantastic rookie season, which ended with the receiver totaling 70 receptions for 911 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Addison became just the third rookie in Vikings history to record double-digit touchdown receptions. He joined Sammy White (1976) and Randy Moss (1998) by doing so. It appears that he is “next up” in a long line of fantastic Vikings wide receivers.
Editor’s Note: Statistics for this article were found via Pro Football Reference and Stathead.
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Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.