This week, I'll be counting down the 25 biggest draft "steals" in Vikings history. This list 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).
I'm blogging five each day Monday-Friday, leading up to the Vikings' first pick in this year's draft — a second-rounder Friday where they will try to find another steal.
Among the contemporary players to make the early part of the cut: Adrian Peterson (seventh pick in the first round in 2007) at No. 24 and Danielle Hunter (third round, 2015) at No. 21.
Read Michael Rand's blog at startribune.com/randball. mrand@startribune.com
