Ranking The Vikings' Top Five Day 3 Draft Picks Of the Rick Spielman Era
Every year, there are hidden gems to be found on Day 3 of the NFL Draft. Talented players get overlooked by scouts for whatever reason, and they wind up having productive NFL careers or even becoming stars. The Vikings have seven picks on Day 3 this year, and GM Rick Spielman will be looking to supplement his early-round selections by finding some diamonds in the rough on Saturday.
Spielman joined the Vikings as VP of player personnel following the 2007 draft, and made decisions along with the teams' head coach – first Brad Childress, then Leslie Frazier – during the next five drafts. But for the past eight years since he was promoted to general manager in 2012, Spielman has had the final say on every pick. Since then, he has found a number of solid players – and one star – late in the draft. Here are the Vikings' top five Day 3 draft picks of the official Spielman era.
Note: the Vikings have also had great success with undrafted free agents like Adam Thielen and Anthony Harris, but that's an entirely separate list.
Honorable mentions
- WR Olabisi Johnson 2019 seventh round
- EDGE Ifeadi Odenigbo, 2017 seventh round
- LB Ben Gedeon, 2017 fourth round
- S Jayron Kearse, 2016 seventh round
- S Robert Blanton, 2012 fifth round
- K Blair Walsh, 2012 sixth round
Several of these players had legit cases to make the top five. Johnson and Odenigbo have each only had one strong season so far, but they could easily make this list next year with big performances in 2020. Walsh also can't quite make it on the strength of one great season his rookie year. Kearse probably deserved more playing time than he got in Minnesota, and may have his best football ahead of him in Detroit. Blanton and Gedeon also had solid arguments to make the list, but came up just short.
No. 5: LB Gerald Hodges, 2013 fourth round
In what was admittedly a tough choice for the fifth spot, Hodges sneaks onto the list over Gedeon because of both his contributions on the field and what he brought back in a trade. Drafted 120th overall out of Penn State, Hodges was an excellent special teams player who made seven starts at linebacker in 2014, recording 66 tackles, six passes defended, and a pick-six that year.
He was traded to the 49ers in 2015 for guard Nick Easton – who would go on to make 17 starts for the Vikings – and a sixth-round pick.
No. 4: DT Shamar Stephen, 2014 seventh round
Stephen wasn't great in 2019, but it's difficult to keep him off of this list because of his longevity and his solid play in 2016 and 2017. The Vikings took him 220th overall out of UConn in 2014, and he made three starts as a rookie. Stephen started all 16 games in 2016 and was a productive run-stuffer in the middle of the Vikings' defensive line. He was a solid rotational player in 2017, recording the best Pro Football Focus grade of his career.
Stephen then went to the Seahawks and started 14 games in 2018, before returning and starting 15 games for the Vikings last year. His level of play has never risen above solid and dropped to below-average last season, but 49 starts, 139 tackles, and four career sacks is a strong six-year career for a seventh-round pick.
No. 3: EDGE Stephen Weatherly, 2016 seventh round
The 2016 draft was a rough one for Spielman; it was the clear choice to come in dead last in our ranking of his eight draft classes with the official GM title. First-round pick Laquon Treadwell was a colossal bust and second-rounder Mackensie Alexander was the only good selection among his first six picks. Luckily, Spielman salvaged the draft slightly with an outstanding seventh round in which he drafted Weatherly and Kearse.
With the 227th overall pick, the Vikings took Vanderbilt's Weatherly. He became an important special teams player in his second season, and worked his way into the rotation at defensive end over the past two years. Across 2018 and 2019, Weatherly recorded six sacks, five tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, and 30 pressures. He inked a solid two-year, $12 million deal with the Panthers this offseason.
No. 2: WR Jarius Wright, 2012 fourth round
The Vikings took two receivers from Arkansas in the fourth round back in 2012. Unfortunately, Greg Childs suffered a brutal injury before his rookie season that more or less ended his NFL career. Wright, however, quickly became a productive player for the Vikings and has carved out a long career in the league. He put up over 2,100 total yards and 10 touchdowns in six years in Minnesota, including over 650 yards in 2014. Wright was the team's second-leading receiver in the 2017 playoffs.
He has spent the last two seasons with the Panthers, posting the second-highest yardage total of his career in 2018. Wright is currently a free agent.
No. 1: WR Stefon Diggs, 2015 fifth round
The gap between Diggs and Wright is bigger than the gap between Wright and anyone in the honorable mention section...by a lot. Diggs is far and away the Vikings' best Day 3 pick since 2012, and he's right there with Everson Griffen, Brian Robison, and John Sullivan as the Vikings' best Day 3 picks of the Spielman era (and the century, really). Diggs's 4,623 receiving yards and 30 touchdowns trail only Amari Cooper among receivers from the 2015 draft class. Cooper was the first receiver taken. Diggs was the 19th, right after Vince Mayle, DeAndre Smelter, and Rashad Greene.
Coming out of Maryland, there were concerns about Diggs' strength, size, and overall athleticism. Two season-ending injuries and a suspension during his college career were also red flags that contributed to his fall to the fifth round. Needless to say, Spielman hit a home run by drafting Diggs on Day 3. He was one of the Vikings' best players for five years before being traded to Buffalo this offseason.
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