EAGAN, Minn. — If you were drafting from a list of all-time Vikings, who would you use your first overall pick to secure?
That's the question that Rob, Craig and I (Lindsey) asked ourselves with the 2025 NFL Draft upon us.
The three of us took into consideration proposed eligibility requirements (listed below) and held our own All-Time Vikings Draft, seeking to build the strongest roster. We randomly assigned draft order, starting with myself at No. 1, then Rob and then Craig. For ease of format, we followed a snake draft pattern: Lindsey, Rob, Craig, Craig, Rob, Lindsey and so on. So, what approach did we each take?
TEAM LINDSEY (@LindseyMNSports):
First five picks: Alan Page, Steve Hutchinson, Carl Eller, Cris Carter, Scott Studwell
Roster Strategy:
I definitely knew going into this I wanted to focus on the trenches. Having the No. 1 overall pick, it was a tough call for me, to be honest, between Hall of Famers Alan Page and Randall McDaniel — I knew whichever one I let slide would likely be off the board before it came back around to me — but I had to go with Page. Defense wins championships! As you can see, I dedicated my first three picks to the defensive and offensive lines, because I think that's where it all starts. I also felt some safety waiting until Round 4 to snag a wide receiver because the Vikings have such a deep legacy at that position. (Note: Craig ended up getting Sammy White 57th overall … talk about a value pick!) When Round 5 came around and the franchise's all-time leading leader in tackles (1,928) was still on the board in Scott Studwell, I was thrilled! My two biggest goals for building a roster were (1) Putting an emphasis on the lines and (2) Assembling a well-rounded, complementary team, and I think I accomplished both of those things.
TEAM ROB (@RobKleifield):
First five picks: Adrian Peterson, John Randle, Randy Moss, Paul Krause, Chris Doleman
Roster Strategy:
Fandom got the best of me with the No. 2 overall pick, but I'm not blinking. I'd expeditiously draft my all-time NFL team around Peterson's lightning-quick jump cuts and thunderous knee drive. After that, I went for and struck gold in sequentially mining arguably the greatest defensive lineman, wide receiver and defensive back in Vikings history. Randle was a First-Team All-Pro for six straight seasons; Moss was third in MVP voting as a rookie and influenced generations of athletes and observers, and Krause owns the team and league interceptions records. I was pleasantly surprised with Doleman's slide to Round 5 as his 150.5 career sacks is fifth on the league's official leaderboard. All told, my first five selections netted me four Hall of Famers plus the game's last (maybe ever) MVP running back who'll be up for Canton consideration soon enough. I didn't stray far from the belief that ball control and defense wins championships.
TEAM CRAIG (@pcraigers):
First five picks: Mick Tingelhoff, Randall McDaniel, Fran Tarkenton, Jim Marshall, Chuck Foreman
Roster Strategy:
At the top of the board, I placed emphasis on sheer exceptionality at key spots and kept in mind the franchise's depth at certain positions. While most would agree that quarterback is of more importance than a center or a guard, Tingelhoff's incredible run of 240 consecutive starts is topped in franchise history only by Marshall's 270. McDaniel is one of the greatest and least-discussed NFL players of all-time: 12 consecutive Pro Bowls (11 with Minnesota) and seven First-Team All-Pro and two Second-Team All-Pro are hard to argue with. I felt like there was incredible value to nab Tarkenton and Foreman at the end of the third and fifth rounds, respectively. The backfield has a world class line in front of it to put their elite talents on display, even if it might mean Tarkenton wouldn't need to scramble as much as he did early in his career.
Take a look through our rosters below, and tell us on the Vikings social media accounts which rosters you think is the best and why. What approach would you take?
Player Eligibility Requirements:
- Anyone who played at least three seasons with the Vikings (could have joined the team as a draft pick, an undrafted free agent, through veteran free agency or a waiver claim or via a trade)
- Cannot be a current Viking
- Can't be a player who was active on any NFL roster in 2024
25-Player Roster Parameters:
- 11 offensive starters (5 OL required, regardless of left or right side of line)
- 11 defensive starters
- 1 backup QB
- 1 offensive flex player
- 1 defensive flex player
- We did not include specialists
TEAM LINDSEY
Offense
QB: Randall Cunningham
T: Ron Yary, Grady Alderman
G: Steve Hutchinson, Chris Liwienski
C: John Sullivan
RB: Robert Smith
FB: Jerome Felton
WR: Cris Carter, Percy Harvin
TE: Steve Jordan
Flex: Visanthe Shiancoe
QB2: Tommy Kramer
Defense
EDGE: Carl Eller, Doug Martin
DT: Alan Page, Henry Thomas
LB: Scott Studwell, Chad Greenway, Anthony Barr
S: Robert Griffith, Orlando Thomas
CB: Ed Sharockman, Terence Newman
Flex: Everson Griffen
TEAM ROB
Offense
QB: Daunte Culpepper
T: Bryant McKinnie, Korey Stringer
G: Milt Sunde, Dave Dixon
C: Matt Birk
RB: Adrian Peterson
FB/RB: Bill Brown
WR: Randy Moss
WR: Ahmad Rashad
TE: Jim Kleinsasser
Flex: Paul Flatley
QB2: Joe Kapp
Defense
EDGE: Chris Doleman, Jared Allen
DT: John Randle, Kevin Williams
LB: Lonnie Warwick, Jeff Siemon, Ed McDaniel
S: Paul Krause, Tom Hannon
CB: Xavier Rhodes, Antoine Winfield
Flex: E.J. Henderson
TEAM CRAIG
Offense
QB: Fran Tarkenton
T: Gary Zimmerman, Tim Irwin
G: Randall McDaniel, Ed White
C: Mick Tingelhoff
RB: Chuck Foreman
WR: Anthony Carter, Sammy White, Jake Reed
TE: Kyle Rudolph
Flex: Dave Osborn
QB2: Warren Moon
Defense
EDGE: Jim Marshall, Brian Robison
DT: Keith Millard, Pat Williams
LB: Matt Blair, Roy Winston, Fred McNeill
S: Joey Browner, Jeff Wright
CB: Bobby Bryant, Carl Lee
Flex: Gary Larsen
OK, let's each make one more case for our roster… GO!
LINDSEY: With all due respect to my colleagues, neither of them have a roster as balanced across the board as mine. It's hard to argue with Craig's offensive line being the strongest, but that wasn't the goal; the goal was strongest overall team.
I've got five Hall of Famers spread across both sides of the ball, including two — TWO! — of the famed Purple People Eaters. Additionally, five of my players (Cunningham, Smith, Carter, Griffith and Orlando Thomas) were on Minnesota's 1998 squad that went 15-1 and advanced to the NFC Championship Game.
I kept things balanced across the board, focusing evenly on offense and defense, as well as being able to run and throw the ball. No one area of my roster suffers because of an over-emphasis on another area.
My team has grit. You've got guys like Cunningham, who joined the Vikings in 1997 after being completely out of football and working for his granite business in 1996; Griffith, who went undrafted and scratched his way to an NFL opportunity before having a successful 13-season career that included two Pro Bowl nods; and Carter, who made the absolute most of his second chance in Minnesota.
Nobody has more neck rolls than my team, with All-Pro fullback Jerome Felton being equipped to plow a path for Smith through any defense.
Additionally, look at the locker room culture I've fostered. Seven of my players are in the Vikings Ring of Honor, and five players have been nominated at least once by Minnesota for the NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year Award. Carter (4x), Griffith, Greenway (4x), Sullivan and Barr collectively account for 11 nominations.
ROB: I walked away with 25 players that combined for 81 career Pro Bowls and 29 First-Team All-Pro selections. Five of my guys are Gold Jackets, with a sixth pending in Peterson and a seventh, Williams, overlooked but extremely deserving. Unknowingly, at the time, I drafted three Minnesota natives in Birk (St. Paul), Sunde (Bloomington) and Siemon (Rochester), and four players from the Vikings 1969 NFL championship team: Brown, Kapp, Krause and Warwick. I also have Super Bowl-winning experience with Birk and McKinnie, who brought a Lombardi to Baltimore in 2012 after long and successful stints in Minnesota. There's helpful overlap, too. Kleinsasser spent five seasons clearing bodies for Peterson, and Birk two; the Culpepper-Moss connection thrived from 2000-04, and Allen and Williams (also Henderson) made life hellacious on opposing backfields, leading Minnesota's rush defense to Nos. 1 and 2 standings in 2008-09.
Brown was listed as a fullback for more than half his 14 seasons and yet led the NFL in rushing attempts, with 251, in 1966. He was savvy in the pass game, as well, with 286 career catches. He could easily spell Peterson to keep my backfield fresh and defenses gassed. Their 172 combined rushing touchdowns would draw defenders forward, and open up the backend for Moss, Rashad and Flatley, who add 224 receiving scores to my offense. Behind an o-line that played in 670 games and started 591 as Vikings, there's a run-centric approach — shoot, even Culpepper and Kapp were good with the rock in their hands, save for some giveaways, averaging 5.2 yards per rush overall and responsible for 39 TDs — with ample opportunity to stretch the field vertically.
Defense, however, is really where I'm hanging my hat. My front four produced 487 career sacks, 115 forced fumbles and nine defensive touchdowns. Yes, my front four alone did that. Behind them, I've fielded two physically intimidating linebackers in Siemon (6-foot-2, 235 pounds) and Warwick (6-3, 238) and an undersized tackling machine in McDaniel, who played with a GPS to the ball, amassing nearly 800 stops in 125 games. Henderson's toughness and instincts supplies the group some scheme versatility/blitz creativity. And my secondary is balanced and scary. Rhodes was Winfield's successor in 2013; he was exceptional in coverage for several years, and Winfield is one of five cornerbacks with more than 1,000 tackles. Harrison Smith happens to be the closest active player to Krause's picks record (81), but even doubling his 37 has him short — in other words, there's no one sniffing Krause. Hannon's skill as a tackler rounds out the unit.
CRAIG: I could say "bless your hearts" to Lindsey and Rob if I wanted to return to my Southern routes and politely tell them they're wrong, but I'll go with "all due respect, but…" because they did build some impressive teams — just not the best of the three.
I was able to put together a roster that features 16 players who were with Minnesota at least 10 seasons and 17 who started more than 100 games for the franchise. My 25 players combined for 86 career Pro Bowls and 25 First-Team All-Pro selections. Continuity and longevity weren't my only guides, however. Millard was the 1989 Defensive Player of the Year, but his full impact was shortened by a knee injury. Zimmerman and White were great with the Vikings and the Broncos (Zimmerman) and Chargers (White).
I've got decades of proven pass catchers with Sammy White, Anthony Carter and Jake Reed, thanks to the great history of Vikings receivers. Throw in "Rudolph the Red Zone Reindeer," and we're going to put some points on the board.
Osborn (13th round in 1965) and Wright (15th round in 1971) are two players who overachieved their initial NFL Draft positioning. Bryant and Lee are quite the cornerback duo. Each was picked in the seventh round of an NFL draft, and both became Pro Bowlers through their penchant for making big-time plays. Browner went to six consecutive Pro Bowls. Talk about a complete player. He, Millard and Zimmerman were all on the Pro Football Hall of Fame's All-Decade Team of the 1980s.
My underrated linebacker trio combined for 410 starts for the Vikings. This roster has not one but two HOF quarterbacks, and I've got a former Marine with Norse connections in Larsen completing the squad.
Here is the sequential order of selections.
Round 1
1. Alan Page, DT (picked by Lindsey Young)
2. Adrian Peterson, RB (picked by Rob Kleifield)
3. Mick Tingelhoff, C (picked by Craig Peters)
Round 2
4. Randall McDaniel, G (CP)
5. John Randle, DT (RK)
6. Steve Hutchinson, G (LY)
Round 3
7. Carl Eller, DE (LY)
8. Randy Moss, WR (RK)
9. Fran Tarkenton, QB (CP)
Round 4
10. Jim Marshall, DE (CP)
11. Paul Krause, S (RK)
12. Cris Carter, WR (LY)
Round 5
13. Scott Studwell, LB (LY)
14. Chris Doleman, DE (RK)
15. Chuck Foreman, RB (CP)
Round 6
16. Joey Browner, S (CP)
17. Kevin Williams, DT (RK)
18. Ron Yary, T (LY)
Round 7
19. Steve Jordan, TE (LY)
20. Jared Allen, DE (RK)
21. Keith Millard, DT (CP)
Round 8
22. Gary Zimmerman, T (CP)
23. Matt Birk, C (RK)
24. Robert Griffith, S (LY)
Round 9
25. Robert Smith, RB (LY)
26. Bryant McKinnie, T (RK)
27. Ed White, G (CP)
Round 10
28. Bobby Bryant, CB (CP)
29. Korey Stringer, T (RK)
30. John Sullivan, C (LY)
Round 11
31. Doug Martin, DE (LY)
32. Xavier Rhodes, CB (RK)
33. Pat Williams, DT (CP)
Round 12
34. Matt Blair, LB (CP)
35. Antoine Winfield, Sr., CB (RK)
36. Grady Alderman, T (LY)
Round 13
37. Chad Greenway, LB (LY)
38. Daunte Culpepper, QB (RK)
39. Carl Lee, CB (CP)
Round 14
40. Kyle Rudolph, TE (CP)
41. Bill Brown, RB/FB (RK)
42. Ed Sharockman, CB (LY)
Round 15
43. Henry Thomas, DT (LY)
44. Dave Dixon, G (RK)
45. Anthony Carter, WR (CP)
Round 16
46. Brian Robison, DE (CP)
47. Ahmad Rashad, WR (RK)
48. Terence Newman, CB (LY)
Round 17
49. Percy Harvin, WR (LY)
50. Jim Kleinsasser, TE (RK)
51. Tim Irwin, T (CP)
Round 18
52. Roy Winston, LB (CP)
53. Lonnie Warwick, LB (RK)
54. Orlando Thomas, S (LY)
Round 19
55. Randall Cunningham, QB (LY)
56. Jeff Siemon, LB (RK)
57. Sammy White, WR (CP)
Round 20
58. Jeff Wright, S (CP)
59. Milt Sunde, G (RK)
60. Jerome Felton, FB (LY)
Round 21
61. Chris Liwienski, G (LY)
62. Ed McDaniel, LB (RK)
63. Fred McNeill, LB (CP)
Round 22
64. Jake Reed, WR (CP)
65. Tom Hannon, S (RK)
66. Anthony Barr, LB (LY)
Round 23 (second QB)
67. Tommy Kramer, QB (LY)
68. Joe Kapp, QB (RK)
69. Warren Moon, QB (CP)
Round 24 (flex 1)
70. Dave Osborn, RB (CP)
71. Paul Flatley, WR (RK)
72. Everson Griffen, DE (LY)
Round 25
73. Visanthe Shiancoe, TE (LY)
74. E.J. Henderson, LB (RK)
75. Gary Larsen, DT (CP)
