Sports

Strange, unforgettable Vikings draft moments

April 28, 2017 at 4:41AM
October 13, 1989 Vikings coach Jerry Burns, Herschel Walker and general manger Mile Lynn. enjoyed a lighter at Thursday night's Press conference. November 16, 1991 July 16, 1992 Brian Peterson, Minneapolis Star Tribune ORG XMIT: MIN2017042719030042
October 13, 1989 Vikings coach Jerry Burns, Herschel Walker and general manger Mile Lynn. enjoyed a lighter at Thursday night’s Press conference. November 16, 1991 July 16, 1992 Brian Peterson, Minneapolis Star Tribune ORG XMIT: MIN2017042719030042 (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

draft oddities

The Vikings have had some weird, wacky and woeful moments in the NFL draft. Here are but a few:

1989: Vikings trade EIGHT picks to Cowboys in midseason in exchange for RB Herschel Walker.

1998: Angst and doubt give way to celebration when WR Randy Moss slips to Vikings at No. 21.

1999: DE Dimitrius Underwood, taken 29th overall, walks out of Vikings training camp one day after signing his contract.

2003: While discussing a potential trade, the Vikings let their draft window pass on the seventh overall pick. They still land DT Kevin Williams two picks later.

2005: WR Troy Williamson becomes one of the biggest disappointments in the team's draft history; DE Erasmus James wasn't much better.

2009: Character concerns cause coach Brad Childress to fly to Florida to interview WR Percy Harvin only three days before drafting him 22nd overall. Harvin was named Rookie of the Year and spent four productive years with the Vikings, but their relationship soured. At one point, Harvin threw a weight at Childress.

2013: GM Rick Spielman abruptly ends his post-draft news conference to finalize a picks trade with the Patriots to get WR Cordarrelle Patterson.

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2016: German WR Moritz Boehringer shows great athleticism in a YouTube video, and that's all it took to become a sixth-round pick.

RANA L. CASH


JEFF WHEELER ï jwheeler@startribune.com DENVER - 12/30/07 - The Minnesota Vikings closed out their season against the Denver Broncos Sunday afternoon at Invesco Field at Mile High in Denver. The fell behind 14 - 3 at halftime. IN THIS PHOTO: ] The Vikings Troy Williamson was wide open but let a long second quarter pass slip through his fingers. ORG XMIT: MIN2017042719100244
JEFF WHEELER ï jwheeler@startribune.com DENVER - 12/30/07 - The Minnesota Vikings closed out their season against the Denver Broncos Sunday afternoon at Invesco Field at Mile High in Denver. The fell behind 14 - 3 at halftime. IN THIS PHOTO: ] The Vikings Troy Williamson was wide open but let a long second quarter pass slip through his fingers. ORG XMIT: MIN2017042719100244 (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
All players were present and accounted for at Vikings minicamp this morning, but there was at least one unhappy camper. Percy Harvin, the Vikings Pro Bowl receiver and kick returner, made it pretty clear that he is unhappy with his contract. Without directly saying so, he said "issues" are involved and unless they are resolved he won't report to the team's training camp in Mankato in late July. ] BRIAN PETERSON ï brianp@startribune.com Eden Prairie, MN - 06/19/2012 ORG XMIT: MIN201209071728
All players were present and accounted for at Vikings minicamp this morning, but there was at least one unhappy camper. Percy Harvin, the Vikings Pro Bowl receiver and kick returner, made it pretty clear that he is unhappy with his contract. Without directly saying so, he said “issues” are involved and unless they are resolved he won’t report to the team’s training camp in Mankato in late July. ] BRIAN PETERSON ï brianp@startribune.com Eden Prairie, MN - 06/19/2012 ORG XMIT: MIN2012090717282801 ORG XMIT: MIN1303091611004146 ORG XMIT: MIN1303112008350364 (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Carlos Gonzalez/Star Tribune November 28, 2004 Metrodome, Minneapolis, MN Ò NFL Ò Minnesota Vikings vs. Jacksonville Jaguars Ò FOR FILE_+----- Minnesota receiver Randy Moss, #84, signals 1st down (not his) in the 2nd half of SundayÌs game. Moss had a touchdown catch in his return after and injury. Minnesota beat Jacksonville by a final score of 27-16. ORG XMIT: MIN2017021116473314 ORG XMIT: MIN1702111650022170
A sampling of the Vikings’ newsworthy drafts (clockwise from upper left): 1989 wasn’t much of a draft after Cowboys running back Herschel Walker cost the Purple eight picks; 2005 first-round selection Troy Williamson developed a reputation for dropping passes; 2009 top pick Percy Harvin had a productive, turbulent four years in Minnesota; the talented-yet-mercurial Randy Moss slipped to the Vikings at No. 21 overall in 1998. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Minnesota Vikings receiver Percy Harvin (12). ] CARLOS GONZALEZ cgonzalez@startribune.com - November 4, 2012, Seattle, WA, Century Link Field, NFL, Minnesota Vikings vs. Seattle Seahawks ORG XMIT: MIN1211051242087003
Minnesota Vikings receiver Percy Harvin (12). ] CARLOS GONZALEZ cgonzalez@startribune.com - November 4, 2012, Seattle, WA, Century Link Field, NFL, Minnesota Vikings vs. Seattle Seahawks ORG XMIT: MIN1211051242087003 (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Minneapolis/St Paul IntrÌl airport. 8/10/99 - Dimitrius Underwood, Vikings first round draft choice, returned to the twin cities Tuesday afternoon. -- Underwood arrived on a United flight from Chicago, and was met on the plane by two people from the Vikings, a scout and a team Chaplin. (Jeff Robinson and Keith Johnson- not sure which is what). They walked thru the concourse accompanied by a United customer service agent. Dimitrius disappeared from the first day of the Vikings training camp
A sampling of the Vikings’ newsworthy drafts (clockwise from upper left): The Oct. 12, 1989, trade for Cowboys running back Herschel Walker cost the Purple eight picks from 1990-93; 2005 first-round selection Troy Williamson developed a reputation for dropping passes; 2009 top pick Percy Harvin had a productive, turbulent four years in Minnesota; Dimitrius Underwood lasted just one day after signing his contract in 1999 before leaving camp. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
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