This week, I counted down the 25 biggest draft "steals" in Vikings history — a list that encompasses several different eras of the draft and goes all the way back to the Vikings' first draft in 1961.

The working definition of a draft steal in this case is a player who ended up being quite productive relative to where he was chosen — whether that meant a first-round pick who was passed up by other teams and went on to have an amazing career or a late-round choice who also had success. Undrafted free agents weren't considered (sorry, John Randle).

Picks 6-25 can be found on divided into groups of five at startribune.com/randball. But as the Vikings head into the second round and beyond of the 2017 draft looking for a few steals again, here are the top five draft steals in franchise history:

5. Matt Birk (sixth round, 1998): Two Vikings from the same draft made the top five. The first is Birk, a sixth-round steal out of Harvard. He started 187 career games at center, including 123 for the Vikings, and was named to six Pro Bowls (all with the Vikings). Birk makes a guy wistful for some of the old Vikings offensive lines.

4. Bobby Bryant (seventh round, 1967): With 127 career starts and 51 career interceptions, Bryant was an invaluable cornerback on some of the best Vikings defenses of all-time. He added six more interceptions in 14 career playoff games. Not bad for a seventh-round pick.

3. Scott Studwell (ninth round, 1977): In addition to having a terrific 14-year career in which he appeared in 201 games and made 160 starts, all with the Vikings, Studwell also had one of the greatest names for a linebacker in NFL history. If you look up linebacker in the dictionary, there might be a picture of this ninth-round steal.

2. Randy Moss (first round, No. 21 overall, 1998): You all know the story by now. In the 1998 draft, Moss was passed over 20 times (by 19 different teams, since the Bengals somehow said "nah" twice). The Vikings grabbed him at No. 21, altering the course of the franchise. It's not a stretch to wonder if the franchise would still be here if Moss hadn't been drafted, given the team's attendance woes before he arrived.

All he did in his first seven years in the league with the Vikings: 574 catches for 9,142 yards and 90 touchdowns while redefining the wide receiver position. He was unforgettable (even if we'd like to forget Moss' brief Vikings return in 2010).

1. Fran Tarkenton (third round, 1961): It takes a lot to top Moss as far as draft steals go, but getting a Hall of Fame quarterback who takes you to three Super Bowls and doing so in the third round of your very first draft as a franchise? I'd say that qualifies.

Tarkenton, like Moss, had two stints with the Vikings. His second, though, was far more successful. Add it all up and he finished his career with 342 career touchdown passes and 47,003 passing yards — most of it with the Vikings and some with the Giants. He also ran for 3,674 yards and averaged 5.4 yards per carry as one of the original scrambling, playmaking quarterbacks.