A lot of talented players have come through the Vikings roster over the years.
NFL Media's Elliot Harrison presented his list of top five **all-time Vikings in a highlight video*** *earlier this week.
Hall of Famers Fran Tarkenton and Alan Page topped Harrison's lineup at one and two, respectively.
"Was Fran Tarkenton a better player than Alan Page? I wouldn't say that, but when you're a quarterback of a franchise, you take the team to three Super Bowls and you win a league MVP, you've got to be up there at the top," Harrison said. "The other thing about Tarkenton is that, when he retired after the 1978 season, he held every major record. All the records that Dan Marino broke in the mid-90s and then Peyton Manning and Brett Favre later, they were all Fran Tarkenton."
Page, by the way, also won an NFL MVP, becoming the first defensive player to do so in 1971, four years before Tarkenton.
Harrison identified Hall of Fame receiver Cris Carter as the No. 3 all-time Viking.
"So many things to say about Cris Carter – one of the best possession receivers to ever play the game," Harrison said. "Now I'm not saying the guy couldn't go deep, but on third-and-6, the Vikings weren't going to Randy Moss. They were going to Cris Carter. Maybe the best hands in the history of the league, and certainly top five. Cris Carter did it with all sorts of different quarterbacks while in Minnesota. He did it with Jim McMahon, he did it with Rich Gannon, he did it with Wade Wilson, Randall Cunningham, Brad Johnson, Daunte Culpepper."
Current Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, who is preparing for his 10th pro season, came in at fourth on the list. Peterson has three rushing titles and the 2012 NFL MVP to his credit.
Hall of Fame guard Randall McDaniel came in at number five on Harrison's list.
"Let me tell you something – Randall McDaniel could play," Harrison said. "Twelve years with the Vikings, 190 games. The thing about him is, pretty much every year with the Vikings, he was either Pro Bowl or All-Pro.
"Yeah, that's right – I have a guard on [this list]," Harrison added, laughing. "And you know why? Because football games are won at the line."
McDaniel holds the franchise record with 11 selections to the Pro Bowl.
A look back at the Vikings 2013 draft
The Vikings made nine player selections in the 2013 NFL Draft, and four of those names — Sharrif Floyd, Xavier Rhodes, Cordarrelle Patterson and Jeff Locke — remain on Minnesota's roster headed into 2016. With only eight days remaining until this year's draft, Ryan Lund of Fox Sports North delved into the Vikings 2013 draft class and **handed out grades for each pick**.
Cornerback Xavier Rhodes, drafted 25th overall, got the highest grade with an 'A.' Lund wrote:
The pro learning curve for cornerbacks is notoriously long, but after an injury-hampered start to his NFL career, Rhodes has evolved into one of the Vikings top defenders. Rhodes played in 13 games (six starts) as a rookie, before emerging as a significant presence in the Vikings pass defense during his sophomore campaign. Rhodes turned in one of the best games of his career in 2015, holding Atlanta Falcons receiver Julio Jones to just 56 receiving yards, his second-lowest total of the season.
The five players no longer with the Vikings included linebackers Gerald Hodges and Michael Mauti, both of whom went to different teams in 2015. Minnesota traded Hodges to San Francisco early last season, and Mauti was released and signed by New Orleans.
After assessing the entire group of players, Lund gave an overall grade of 'C' to the Vikings 2013 draft class.
Vensel: Running back low on Vikings draft wish list
As part of an eight-part series in which he looks at Vikings positional needs in the draft, the Star Tribune's Matt Vensel **addressed running backs** Tuesday.
The Vikings have made it clear that they need Peterson to better mesh with the shotgun spread attack that quarterback Teddy Bridgewater has thrived in. Peterson has acknowledged it after the 2015 season, too.
Third-year running back Jerick McKinnon should see an uptick in snaps after he opened eyes late in the season with big plays on screen passes and jet sweeps. Perhaps he and Peterson will be used on the field together.
With Peterson, McKinnon and Matt Asiata all returning for the 2016 season, Vensel identified running back as a low priority and doesn't expect Minnesota to target the position early in the draft.
If a potential bell-cow such as Alabama's Derrick Henry is sitting there near the end of the second round, the Vikings could be tempted to snag him. But it is much more likely that they steer clear of this position in the early rounds and maybe take a flyer on someone later.
