Rick Spielman started overseeing the drafts of the Minnesota Vikings in 2012. He’d been part of the team’s draft decision-making process since 2006 but took over the general manager role in 2012. If you want to grade his Minnesota drafting, you look at the ten drafts from 2012 to 2021. Here’s a look at some of best and worst picks by round that Rick Spielman made while calling the draft shots for the Vikings.
First Round
Contenders for best first-round pick:
Harrison Smith-2012
Xavier Rhodes-2013
Anthony Barr-2014
Justin Jefferson-2020
It comes down to Harrison Smith and Justin Jefferson. It’s tempting to go with Jefferson. His two years in the league have been ridiculous. In terms of yards, no receiver has ever had a better start to his career. If he can stretch this hot start for a few more years, maybe he’s the pick for Spielman’s best first-round pick. For now, for the career that he’s had, the pick is Smith. Five years after his retirement, he’ll have a strong Hall of Fame argument.
The pick:
Harrison Smith-2012
Worst first-round pick:
Laquan Treadwell-2016
Second Round
Contenders for best second-round pick:
Eric Kendricks-2015
Dalvin Cook-2017
Brian O’Neill-2018
That’s a nice trio. The best second-round pick is Eric Kendricks mostly because he’s been great for a little longer. Due to draft day trades, Spielman didn’t make a second-round pick until he picked Kendricks in 2015.
The pick:
Eric Kendricks-2015
Worst second-round pick:
Mackensie Alexander-2016
This really isn’t fair. Once he stopped fighting Mike Zimmer and started working, Mackensie Alexander was a good player for the Vikings. This choice has more to do with Spielman’s success in the second round. He didn’t make a lot of picks in the round but he made them count. Kendricks, Alexander, Cook, O’Neill, and Ezra Cleveland.
Third Round
There’s only one choice for best third-round pick:
Danielle Hunter-2015
At the moment Danielle Hunter was selected, how many puzzled over the pick? It didn’t take long for Hunter to win over everyone. He’s a beast.
Worst third-round pick:
Scott Crichton-2014
Fourth Round
Contenders for best fourth-round pick:
Rhett Ellison-2012
Jaleel Johnson-2017
D.J. Wonnum-2020
Kene Nwangwu-2021
That’s pretty bleak. You know it’s bleak when D.J. Wonnum makes the list for a handful of plays and Kene Nwangwu makes it on half a season. I was tempted to add Camryn Bynum for his three rookie starts. I really liked Rhett Ellison. He wasn’t Jim Kleinsasser. No one could ever suitably replace Kleinsasser but Ellison was a feisty, tough football player. I hated when the New York Giants signed him away in free agency.
The pick:
Rhett Ellison-2012
Worst fourth-round pick:
T.J. Clemmings-2015
The contenders are too many and too sad to list.
Fifth Round
There’s only one choice for best fifth-round pick:
Stefon Diggs-2015
Stefon Diggs was a fun, great receiver for the Vikings. He made perhaps one of the greatest plays in franchise history. On the field, his time in Minnesota was a treat. I still hate thinking about that time in the past tense but his departure did bring Justin Jefferson to the team.
Of Rick Spielman’s ten drafts as general manager, the 2015 draft easily stands above the rest. Three of the picks were outstanding:
Eric Kendricks
Danielle Hunter
Stefon Diggs
First-round pick Trae Waynes was a solid pick and player. Even the selection of T.J. Clemmings couldn’t take down Spielman’s best draft.
Worst fifth-round pick:
Rodney Adams-2017
Sixth Round
Contenders for best sixth-round pick:
Blair Walsh-2012
Dan Morgan-2016
Armon Watts-2019
If not for the cliff that Blair Walsh fell off, he might be an easy choice for best sixth-round pick. His rookie year was amazing. It looked like he was on his way to an all-time career. In what felt a blink, he was terrible. Dan Morgan looked like he was becoming a Rhett Ellison-like player. I liked Ellison. I was beginning to like Morgan. Then an injury derailed everything. Armon Watts has flashed in his three years. It’s felt like he’s been on the edge of breaking out for two years. Hopefully this is the year that he finally does.
The pick:
Armon Watts-2019
Worst sixth-round pick:
Bucky Hodges-2017
Seventh Round
Contenders for best seventh-round pick:
Shamar Stephen-2014
Stephen Weatherly-2016
Ifeadi Odenigbo-2017
Perhaps due to the excellent teachings of Andre Patterson, the Vikings often got the best out of late-round defensive linemen. Each of the above made an impact. Shamar Stephen was a solid starter for several seasons.
The pick:
Shamar Stephen-2014
Worst seventh-round pick:
Austin Cutting-2019
The Vikings used a draft pick to specifically target a long-snapper. If he was good enough at that specialty to warrant a draft pick, Austin Cutting should’ve kept the job for more than 25 games.
***
Early, Rick Spielman earned a reputation for moving up into the first round. Later, he earned a reputation for moving around the draft in order to add extra later-round picks. After this little exercise, it doesn’t appear that the Vikings saw much impact from those extra later-round picks.
Overall, I believe that Spielman did well in adding talented players to the Vikings roster. He did well in the early rounds. Some of his first-round misses were for reasons other than on the field. Teddy Bridgewater and Sharif Floyd in particular. Who knows where Spielman and the franchise would be if Bridgewater’s knee hadn’t exploded? Spielman’s second round picks were great. It’s a shame that he only made five picks in the round. If his drafting had a blindspot, it was the fourth round. That’s often a very important round for at least depth purposes. The Vikings didn’t get much from the round. They didn’t get much from their Day 3 picks. Stefon Diggs was an outlier. The Vikings may have gotten more impact from their undrafted free agents than their Day 3 picks. That shouldn’t happen.
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