Flashback Friday – Oh, What a Season! The Best Vikings Draft Class
LeeAnn Lowman
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The 2007 Minnesota Vikings draft class was arguably the best in the history of the organization. That, of course, was the draft that produced Adrian Peterson, one of the best running backs of all time. However, it takes more than one superstar to make a winning draft. A winning draft class also takes into account the value a team gets based on a draft pick. The less a team gives up to get a player, the better the value.
| Draft Round | Player | Position | College/University |
| 1 | Adrian Peterson | RB | Oklahoma |
| 2 | Sidney Rice | WR | South Carolina |
| 3 | Marcus McCauley | DB | Fresno State |
| 4 | Brian Robison | DE | Texas |
| 5 | Aundrae Allison | WR | East Carolina |
| 6 | Rufus Alexander | LB | Oklahoma |
| 7 | Tyler Thigpen | QB | Coastal Carolina |
| 7 | Chandler Williams | WR | Florida International |
A Steal of a Running Back
Peterson is proof that drafting football players is not an exact science. He had a successful career at Oklahoma and ranked off the charts at the combine, but teams had concerns that he was an injury risk after a collarbone break. Peterson was generally ranked #2 behind Calvin Johnson (drafted 2nd overall by Detroit); however, he still fell to the Vikings with the 7th pick. Of the 6 players drafted ahead of him, 4 were busts. This made Peterson an incredible value at 7. If it had not been for the injury fears some team would have likely traded up for him.
Peterson paid out in a big way. The addition of quarterback Brett Favre to the Viking roster only bolstered Peterson. The duo helped elevate the offense enough to get them to an NFC Championship in 2009, with Peterson scoring 18 touchdowns. During his 10 seasons in Minnesota, Peterson had some staggering stats. He played in 123 games, starting 116, had 2,418 rushes for 11,747 yards and 97 touchdowns. Additionally, he had 241 receptions for 1,945 yards and 5 touchdowns. Peterson played in 7 Pro Bowls and was a 4-time All-Pro.
Sidney Rice
Compared to Peterson, Rice was a bit more of a slow burner. He did have a solid rookie season with 31 receptions for 396 yards and 4 touchdowns. That put him second among rookies that year. He also threw two passes that season, including one for 79 yards which was the longest for a non-quarterback in franchise history. Rice also benefited from the addition of Favre and had his statistically best season in 2009. That season he had 83 catches for 1,312 yards and 8 touchdowns.
Brian Robison
Defensive end Robison wound up being one of the biggest steals of the draft. Selected in the 4th round, the Vikings were hopeful but not overly optimistic. He was another player that took a few years to find his footing but once he did he became one of the most solid, reliable leaders on the defense.
Robison spent 11 years as a Viking. During that time he employed a blue-collar type of work ethic that earned him the respect of coaches, fellow teammates, and fans. He played in 173 regular-season outings, missing only 3 games during his career and recording 60 sacks.
The rest of the players drafted that year had varying degrees of success in the NFL. Quarterback Tyler Thigpen wound up being quite a great value for a 7th-round pick, just not for the Vikings. After losing his spot as QB3 in camp he was cut. He went on to play for several years for multiple teams as a backup.
The 2007 Minnesota Vikings draft continues to light the dark for Vikings fans. After several years containing busts, fans are hopeful that 2022 will be the year we repeat 2007.
[brid autoplay=”true” video=”996951″ player=”26281″ title=”WATCH%203%20ideal%20Indianapolis%20Colts%20trade%20scenarios%20for%20the%202022%20NFL%20Draft” duration=”118″ description=”The Indianapolis Colts trade for star quarterback Matt Ryan will have wide-ranging ramifications moving forward.It’s kept Indianapolis’ championship window open for at least the next two seasons after the failed Carson Wentz experiment during the 2021 campaign.Heading into the 2022 NFL Draft next week, the Colts are without a first-round pick stemming from their trade for Wentz with the Philadelphia Eagles last spring.This could lead to general manager Chris Ballard attempting to move up the board with the draft capital he acquired from the Washington Commnders for next year’s draft. Below, we look at three ideal Indianapolis Colts trade scenarios for the 2022 NFL Draft.” uploaddate=”2022-04-21″ thumbnailurl=”undefined” contentUrl=”https://cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/17660/streaming/996937/996937.m3u8″ width=”16″ height=”9″]