Two days.
Two days until the 2023 NFL Draft kicks off and future stars find their first NFL team.
Since the inception of the event, which NFL Drafts can be deemed the most successful? The Athletic's Larry Holder recently asked this question, ranking the top 10 drafts in league history. He wrote:
Ranking every NFL draft class can go in numerous directions. One method is to evaluate a class's top-tier talent. But a draft class goes much deeper than the best players in that particular year's crop.
So, for the second consecutive year, I'm using a formula to highlight the top talent and the drafts with the most depth for this argument.
View the best photos of Vikings legend and Pro Football Hall of Famer Randy Moss.
Holder used Pro Football Reference's "Weighted Approximate Value" metric, totaled the career WAVs of players in all 48 draft classes from 1967-2014 and compared them using the following three categories:
1. Overall class (total WAV of every player in each year)
2. Top 30 (total of the top 30 players' WAV in each year)
3. Top 10 (total of the top 10 players' WAV in each year)
View photos of Vikings legend and Pro Football Hall of Famer Randall McDaniel.
Guard Randall McDaniel (64) of the Minnesota Vikings sets for play against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Oct. 13, 1996 in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo / Al Messerschmidt)
Minnesota Vikings running back Herschel Walker (34) runs upfield behind Hall of Fame guard Randall McDaniel (66) during an NFL game against the Green Bay Packers in Minneapolis, Dec. 21, 1991. The Packers defeated the Vikings 27-7. (AP Photo/Vernon Biever)
Minnesota Vikings offensive lineman Randall McDaniel (64) rests during an NFL game against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, Oct. 3, 1993, in San Francisco. The 49ers won the game, 38-19. (AP Photo/Greg Trott)
Guard Randall McDaniel (64) of the Minnesota Vikings sets for play against the New York Giants Oct. 30, 1989 in East Rutherford, NJ. (AP Photo / Al Messerschmidt)
Guard Randall McDaniel (64) of the Minnesota Vikings sets for play against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in October 1998 in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo / Al Messerschmidt)
Minnesota Vikings guard Randall McDaniel (64) at the NFL Pro Bowl, a 20 -13 NFC victory on Feb. 4, 1996, at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu. (AP Photo / Al Messerschmidt)
NFC guard Randall McDaniel of the Minnesota Vikings during Pro Bowl media day before the NFC's 17 - 3 victory over the AFC in the 1994 NFla Pro Bowl played on February 6, 1994 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Al Messerschmidt via AP)
NFC guard Randall McDaniel of the Minnesota Vikings during Pro Bowl Media Day before the NFC's 17 - 3 victory over the AFC in the 1994 NFL Pro Bowl played on Feb. 6, 1994 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu. (AP Photo / Al Messerschmidt)
2009 Hall of Fame members (L-R) former guard Randall McDaniel of the Minnesota Vikings (and Tampa Bay Buccaneers), former defensive end Bruce Smith of the Buffalo Bills, and former defensive back Rod Woodson of the Pittsburgh Steelers (and Oakland Raiders and Baltimore Ravens) pose for a photo before the 2009 NFL Pro Bowl at Aloha Stadium on February 8, 2009 in Honolulu, Hawaii. The NFC defeated the AFC 30-21. (AP Photo/Paul Spinelli)
Minnesota Vikings players John Randle, Randall McDaniel, Chris Doleman, and Cris Carter pose on photo day before the NFL Pro Bowl, a 17 - 3 NFC victory on Feb. 6, 1994, at Aloha Stadium in Honolul. (AP Photo / Al Messerschmidt)
Former Minnesota Vikings and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers player Randall McDaniel speaks during the Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony at the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2009, in Canton, Ohio. (AP Photo/David Richard)
Former Minnesota Vikings and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers player Randall McDaniel stands with his bronze bust during the Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony at the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2009, in Canton, Ohio. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)
Presenter O.K. Fulton, left, and former Minnesota Vikings and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers player Randall McDaniel unveil the bust of McDaniel during the Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony at the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2009, in Canton, Ohio. (AP Photo/David Richard)
Former Minnesota Vikings guard Randall McDaniel has his bust unveiled by his high school athletic director O.K. Fulton during the 2009 Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement in Canton, Ohio on Aug. 8. (AP Photo/Ben Liebenberg)
Charles Haley and Randall McDaniel pose for a photograph during a game between the Minnesota Vikings and thePittsburgh Steelers at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio on Aug. 9, 2015. (AP Photo/Johnny Vy)
Minnesota Vikings guard Randall McDaniel (64) is seen in action during an NFL game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Oct. 15, 1995, in Tampa, Fla. (Allen Kee via AP)
Guard Randall McDaniel (64) of the Minnesota Vikings sets for play against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in October 1995 in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo / Al Messerschmidt)
Guard Randall McDaniel (64) of the Minnesota Vikings sets for play against Los Angeles Raiders Sept. 5, 1993 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo / Al Messerschmidt)
Minnesota Vikings guard Randall McDaniel (64) is seen in action during an NFL game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Nov. 1, 1998, in Tampa, Fla. (Allen Kee via AP)
Guard Randall McDaniel (64) of the Minnesota Vikings sets for play in an NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Nov. 8, 1992 in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo / Al Messerschmidt)
Guard Randall McDaniel (64) of the Minnesota Vikings sets for play against the Chicago Bears in September 1997 in Chicago. (AP Photo / Al Messerschmidt)
Minnesota Vikings guard Randall McDaniel (64) is seen in action during an NFL game against the Green Bay Packers Sept. 4, 1994, in Green Bay, Wis. (Allen Kee via AP)
Minnesota Vikings guard Randall McDaniel before the NFla Pro Bowl, a 17 - 3 NFC victory on February 6, 1994, at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Al Messerschmidt via AP)
Minnesota Vikings guard Randall McDaniel (64) is seen in action during an NFL game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Nov. 1, 1998, in Tampa, Fla. (Allen Kee via AP)
Minnesota Vikings guard Randall McDaniel (64) tries to keep Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Dan Saleaumua (97) away from Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre (4) during the NFL Pro Bowl, a 20 - 13 NFC victory on Feb. 4, 1996, at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu. (Al Messerschmidt via AP)
Minnesota Vikings guard Randall McDaniel (64) is seen in action during an NFL game against the Chicago Bears, Sunday, Sept. 15, 1996, in Chicago. (Allen Kee via AP)
Minnesota Vikings Randall McDaniel (64) during a game from his 1997 season with the Minnesota Vikings. Randall McDaniel played for 14 seasons with 2 different teams, was a 12-time Pro Bowler and inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2009.(David Durochik via AP)
Minnesota Vikings guard Randall McDaniel (64) is seen in action during an NFL game against the Chicago Bears, Sunday, Sept. 15, 1996, in Chicago. (Allen Kee via AP)
Minnesota Vikings guard Randall McDaniel (64) is seen in action during an NFL game against the Green Bay Packers, Sunday, Sept. 21, 1997, in Green Bay, Wis. (Allen Kee via AP)
Minnesota Vikings Randall McDaniel (64) during a game from his 1994 season with the Minnesota Vikings. Randall McDaniel played for 14 seasons with 2 different teams, was a 12-time Pro Bowler and inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2009.(David Durochik via AP)
Former Minnesota Vikings player and Pro Football Hall of Fame member Randall McDaniel looks on as he receives his Ring of Excellence award in a halftime ceremony during a week 13 NFL football game between the Dallas Cowboys against the Minnesota Vikings, Thursday, Dec. 1, 2016, in Minneapolis. The Cowboys won 17-15. (Scott Boehm via AP)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - OCTOBER 5: Former Minnesota Vikings player and current Hall of Fame member Randall McDaniel walks on the sidelines during the game between the MInnesota Vikings against the Green Bay Packers at Mall of America Field at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome on October 5, 2009 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings defeated the Packers 30-23. (AP Photo/Scott Boehm)
Holder then combined the rankings of the three categories from each class to create a composite ranking. He noted that he "also dove into a few areas of interest outside of the full chart of rankings":
1. Top 10 classes
2. Bottom five classes
3. Biggest disparities among the three yearly individual rankings
4. Future contenders to move into the top 10 classes
In Holder's rankings of draft classes, three Vikings Hall of Famers stood out: wide receiver Randy Moss in 1998, which Holder ranked the fifth-best in NFL history; guard Randall McDaniel in 1988 (fourth-best) and guard Steve Hutchinson, who was picked by Seattle in 2001 (third-best) before joining Minnesota in 2006.
Holder wrote the following of 1998:
Welcome to the Peyton Manning draft year! Want to talk about a top-heavy class? The top four WAV players went to the HOF: Manning, Moss, [Charles] Woodson and [Alan] Faneca. [Fred] Taylor and [Hines] Ward continue to be in the HOF conversation. This class yielded 12 players with a career WAV of 80 or more. It would have been very hard for this class not to rank among the top 10 given the group's quality at the top.
The 1988 NFL Draft produced an impressive five Hall of Famers: McDaniel, Thurman Thomas, Tim Brown, Michael Irvin and Dermontti Dawson. Holder noted the 1988 class "also carries 17 players with a 70 or higher career WAV," which tied with 1969 for the third-most in his study.
Three players from the 2001 class already are in the Hall of Fame: Hutchinson, LaDainian Tomlinson and Richard Seymour.
[Drew] Brees will make it four when he's eligible. [Reggie] Wayne and [Steve] Smith, Sr., will be in the conversation, too, with one or maybe both getting in at some point. This class produced 10 players with an 85 or higher WAV. The only other classes with as many or more are 1969 (10 players), 1983 (10) and 2011 (10).
Holder ranked the 1983 and 1996 drafts, respectively, as the NFL's most successful. Click here to read his full breakdown and rankings.
Theo Jackson helps launch 'Dream Board Initiative' for Miami high school
Vikings safety Theo Jackson is using his offseason to make a difference in the community.
Jackson recently partnered with youth mentoring program Always Progress to launch the Dream Board Initiative for the students at Miami Jackson High School.
The program is a quarterly initiative that focuses on using dream boards as an outlet to help inspire and guide local youth in the community. Dream Boards allow students to create visual representations of goals through a collage of pictures and words, which will serve as a daily reminder of what the students want to achieve and helps motivate them to make their vision a reality.
During Friday's event, Jackson provided mentorship and support for students.
