This has been a disaster season for the Vikings and the primary reason why has to be the suspension (of sorts) for Adrian Peterson. Not that the Vikings were a shoe in by any means with him, but without him it was clear they wouldn’t amount to much. That, and Teddy Bridgewater just isn’t ready to produce on the level needed to win games consistently just yet. That said, some draft blunders are hurting them too. Not that many teams, if any, could absorb the loss of the best player on their roster to make the playoffs, but the margins for the Vikings are even smaller with poor draft choices that still haunt the franchise. The good news is there are young recent picks in Cordarrelle Patterson, Xavier Rhodes, Anthony Barr, Bridgewater and others that are showing some real promise. Perhaps the developing picks of the last couple years will turn this franchise’s fortunes around. Since Brett Favre left the Vikings are 27-44-1 with only one playoff berth (a loss in the wild card game). Here are five draft picks they are still paying for:
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5. Toby Gerhart, RB, Stanford – 51st pick overall (2nd round) in 2010
Gerhart is already with a new team in the Jaguars and he’s already back to being a backup. Somehow Gerhart always finds his way onto people’s fantasy teams with overrated draft rankings. Then comes the season and owners quickly realize he’s still not worthy of a roster spot. Most of this of course stems from how good Gerhart was in college but that has not translated to the NFL. In four seasons with the Vikings he only found the end zone 5 times on the ground and despite always being a backup he still managed to find a way to fumble 8 times. He only started 6 games for the Vikings and never really lived up to the change of pace threat people expected from him being teamed up with Adrian Peterson. The next running back taken would be Ben Tate.
4. Percy Harvin, WR, Florida – 22nd pick overall in 2009
While no one can question Harvin’s talent and game breaking potential, there’s a reason he’s already on his 3rd NFL team. Besides being a character problem, Harvin has had a lot of trouble staying healthy. Harvin has never had a 1,000 yard receiving season and he’s only played 16 games one time in his career. By contrast, Mike Wallace and Hakeem Nicks (both drafted after Harvin in 2009) each have had two 1,000 yard seasons and they’ve missed a lot less games.
3. Christian Ponder, QB, Florida State – 12th pick overall in 2011
Ponder somehow has already managed to find his way back on the field as the 3rd string quarterback this season, not that that lasted long, and he clearly won’t be back at the end of the season. He’s been 14-21-1 as a starter and thrown 38 touchdowns to 36 interceptions. He hasn’t always been horrible, but consistently mediocre enough to prevent the Vikings from producing at the level fans hoped they would. Spotty play combined with injuries has burned all good will that existed for him in Minneapolis. What really hurts is when you consider the next four guys selected: Nick Fairley, Robert Quinn, Mike Pouncey, and Ryan Kerrigan. The next two quarterbacks taken would be Andy Dalton and Colin Kaepernick. To say the Vikings blew this one is a big understatement.
2. Erasmus James, DE, Wisconsin – 18th pick overall in 2005
Unbelievably James wasn’t the worst 1st round pick for the Vikings in 2005, but he was still a bad one. James played only three seasons in the NFL totaling 5 sacks. The next defensive end taken was Marcus Spears who stayed in the league until 2013 and Justin Tuck was taken later. But the Vikings could have pretty much taken almost any other player in that draft class and it would have been a better selection. James had an injury plagued career and has since had run ins with the law associated with anger management issues.
1. Troy Williamson, WR, South Carolina – 7th pick overall in 2005
When you have a top 10 pick, you have to get it right. Unfortunately Williamson played just 3 seasons with the Vikings never making more than 37 catches in a season. He was out of the league by 2009. He was as big of a top 10 player bust as you see. Most Vikings fans remember Williamson for poor terrible hands and routinely dropping double digit passes in a season. Receivers in that draft class picked after Williamson included Roddy White and Vincent Jackson, who are still both terrorizing NFL corners today. Players picked directly after Williamson included Antrel Rolle, Carlos Rogers, DeMarcus Ware and Shawne Merriman.
