It’s a franchise that has had its share of Hall of Fame players. The Minnesota Vikings have also had their share of first-round flops.
The NFL franchise in the Twin Cities that resides in the Twin Cities first took the field in 1961. The Minnesota Vikings have had a proud history, the team won an NFL title in 1969 and advanced to Super Bowl IV. However, the AFL’s Kansas City Chiefs walloped Bud Grant’s club, 23-7, at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans. Hence, still no Lombardi Trophy.
In an eight-year span from 1969-76, the Vikings appeared in four Super Bowls. None of them went well for the club. In fact, in each of those losses to the Chiefs (IV), Dolphins (VIII), Steelers (IX) and Raiders (XK), Minnesota failed to score a point in the first half.
It’s also interesting to note that the franchise has made a total of 31 postseason appearances, including in 2022. Only four teams have done better and that figure is made even more impressive considering they were not part of the NFL in the early 1930s. Then again, no franchise has lost more playoff games than the Vikings.
There have been many great players including numerous Pro Football Hall of Famers, who have won worn the Purple and Gold. Of course, there have also been some disappointments when it comes to draft picks, as is the case with every franchise.
Biggest NFL Draft busts in Minnesota Vikings history:
3. QB Christian Ponder
It was a year in which four quarterbacks were selected in the first 12 picks. The Carolina Panthers made Auburn’s Cam Newton the first overall choice in the 2011 NFL Draft. Eventually, the Tennessee Titans opted for Jake Locker with the seventh pick and the Jacksonville Jaguars grabbed Blaine Gabbert at No. 10.
Two selections later, the Minnesota Vikings surprised some by opting for Florida State’s Christian Ponder. Veteran Brett Favre’s final NFL season came in 2010 and the team was looking for his successor. However, the former Seminole had his struggles.
Talk about irony. In four seasons with the Vikings (2011-14), Ponder played in 38 games and made 36 starts. He finished with 38 TD passes and 36 interceptions. He also fumbled 20 times and lost the ball 11 times. In 2012, he started all 16 games and the team reached the playoffs, however, he was dealing with an elbow issue and Joe Webb started vs. the Packers in the wild-card round.
2. RB Leo Hayden
The 24th overall selection in the 1971 NFL Draft doesn’t have much of a playing resume. The Minnesota Vikings opted for Ohio State running back Leo Hayden. He was the last of four Buckeyes chosen in the first round that year. The first two of those college standouts were running back John Brockington (Packers) and hard-hitting safety Jack Tatum (Raiders).
Defensive back Tim Anderson was chosen just 23rd by the 49ers and while he played six professional seasons, the first four were with the Toronto Argonauts.
As for Hayden, his rookie campaign saw him play in seven games, with no carries and no receptions. Just before the start of the following season, he was cut by the Vikings. His off-the-field issues garnered more attention than his play. He latched on with the then-St. Louis Cardinals and spent two seasons with the team before landing with the WFL’s Chicago Fire.
Chris Tomasson of the Twin Cities Pioneer Press documents Hayden’s path and what he’s doing today. That means turning his life around. As for his place in Vikings’ history in terms of a first-round disappointment?
“How does it make me feel?” Hayden said. “Not very good. But, hey, if that’s the path that I had to take to get where I am today, then maybe that was the path that God intended me to take. Now, I have a purpose in everything.”
1. DE Dimitrius Underwood
The Minnesota Vikings have certainly had their share of prominent performers in the defensive trenches. When it comes to this area, there are three members of the Purple Gang in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Defensive tackle Alan Page (the 1971 NFL MVP), defensive end Carl Eller and undrafted defensive lineman John Randle all have busts in Canton, Ohio.
Former Vikings’ first-round draft choice Dimitrius Underwood is also a Hall of Famer. However, it has nothing to do with pro football. Before joining Michigan State University, the defensive end was a standout at E.E. Smith High School in Fayetteville, North Carolina. After his career in the Big Ten with the Spartans, Minnesota made him the 29th overall pick in the 1999 NFL Draft.
Following a practice, on August 2, the 6-foot-6, 276-pound prospect was gone. Roughly a week later, the Vikings issued this statement. “Dimitrius told coach (Dennis) Green that he has no desire to play football and has decided not to play for the Vikings.”
Apparently, Underwood did have a slight change of heart. He wound up with the Dallas Cowboys and played in a total of 19 games over two seasons. The first was in 2000 in which he appeared in 15 contests and finished with four sacks. However, he finished with just four tackles in as many games a year later.