Minnesota Vikings
Battle card · first-round draft history, season-by-season record, and how Vikings top picks have shaped the franchise.
R1 Picks
60
Hall of Famers
3
5.0% hit rate
Avg pick slot
18.7
Highest pick
#4
Chris Doleman · 1985
All-time record
494–379–4
0.566 win %
Playoff seasons
30
of 56
The Story
- Minnesota Vikings have made 60 first-round selections and produced 3 Hall of Famers (5.0% hit rate).
- Their highest selection on record is #4 overall in 1985, when they took Chris Doleman.
- Across 56 seasons in this dataset they have a 494-379-4 record (0.566) and reached the playoffs 30 times.
- In seasons after holding at least one top-10 pick, Minnesota Vikings added an average of 2.1 wins versus the prior year (11 such seasons in the data).
- Their most-drafted position group is DL, taken 16 times in Round 1.
- USC is their go-to talent pipeline, supplying 5 first-round picks.
- Their best season was 1998: 15-1-0 (+260 point differential).
- Their worst was 1984: 3-13-0 (-208 point differential).
Wins per Season
R1 Pick Slot by Year
Position Breakdown
Point Differential by Season
Impact of Top-10 Picks (Next-Season Wins Delta)
| Draft Year | Pick | Player | Prior-Year Wins | New-Year Wins | Delta | HoF? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | #10 | Jeff Siemon | 11 | 7 | -4 | |
| 1980 | #9 | Doug Martin | 7 | 9 | +2 | |
| 1982 | #7 | Darrin Nelson | 7 | 5 | -2 | |
| 1985 | #4 | Chris Doleman | 3 | 7 | +4 | HoF |
| 2002 | #7 | Bryant McKinnie | 5 | 6 | +1 | |
| 2003 | #9 | Kevin Williams | 6 | 9 | +3 | |
| 2005 | #7 | Troy Williamson | 8 | 9 | +1 | |
| 2007 | #7 | Adrian Peterson | 6 | 8 | +2 | |
| 2012 | #4 | Matt Kalil | 3 | 10 | +7 | |
| 2014 | #9 | Anthony Barr | 5 | 7 | +2 | |
| 2024 | #10 | J.J. McCarthy | 7 | 14 | +7 |
Hall of Fame Selections
| Year | Pick | Player | Pos | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | #4 | Chris Doleman | DE | Pittsburgh |
| 1988 | #19 | Randall McDaniel | G | Arizona St. |
| 1998 | #21 | Randy Moss | WR | Marshall |
Every First-Round Pick
| Year | Pick | Player | Pos | College | HoF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | #25 | John Ward | G | Oklahoma St. | |
| 1971 | #24 | Leo Hayden | RB | Ohio St. | |
| 1972 | #10 | Jeff Siemon | LB | Stanford | |
| 1973 | #12 | Chuck Foreman | RB | Miami (FL) | |
| 1974 | #17 | Fred McNeill | LB | UCLA | |
| 1974 | #25 | Steve Riley | T | USC | |
| 1975 | #25 | Mark Mullaney | DE | Colorado St. | |
| 1976 | #25 | James White | DT | Oklahoma St. | |
| 1977 | #27 | Tommy Kramer | QB | Rice | |
| 1978 | #21 | Randy Holloway | DE | Pittsburgh | |
| 1979 | #16 | Ted Brown | RB | North Carolina St. | |
| 1980 | #9 | Doug Martin | DE | Washington | |
| 1982 | #7 | Darrin Nelson | RB | Stanford | |
| 1983 | #19 | Joey Browner | DB | USC | |
| 1984 | #13 | Keith Millard | DT | Washington St. | |
| 1985 | #4 | Chris Doleman | DE | Pittsburgh | HoF |
| 1986 | #14 | Gerald Robinson | DE | Auburn | |
| 1987 | #14 | D.J. Dozier | RB | Penn St. | |
| 1988 | #19 | Randall McDaniel | G | Arizona St. | HoF |
| 1993 | #21 | Robert Smith | RB | Ohio St. | |
| 1994 | #18 | Dewayne Washington | DB | North Carolina St. | |
| 1994 | #19 | Todd Steussie | T | California | |
| 1995 | #11 | Derrick Alexander | DE | Florida St. | |
| 1995 | #24 | Korey Stringer | T | Ohio St. | |
| 1996 | #16 | Duane Clemons | DE | California | |
| 1997 | #20 | Dwayne Rudd | LB | Alabama | |
| 1998 | #21 | Randy Moss | WR | Marshall | HoF |
| 1999 | #11 | Daunte Culpepper | QB | Central Florida | |
| 1999 | #29 | Dimitrius Underwood | DT | Michigan St. | |
| 2000 | #25 | Chris Hovan | DT | Boston Col. | |
| 2001 | #27 | Michael Bennett | RB | Wisconsin | |
| 2002 | #7 | Bryant McKinnie | T | Miami (FL) | |
| 2003 | #9 | Kevin Williams | DT | Oklahoma St. | |
| 2004 | #20 | Kenechi Udeze | DE | USC | |
| 2005 | #7 | Troy Williamson | WR | South Carolina | |
| 2005 | #18 | Erasmus James | DE | Wisconsin | |
| 2006 | #17 | Chad Greenway | LB | Iowa | |
| 2007 | #7 | Adrian Peterson | RB | Oklahoma | |
| 2009 | #22 | Percy Harvin | WR | Florida | |
| 2011 | #12 | Christian Ponder | QB | Florida St. | |
| 2012 | #4 | Matt Kalil | T | USC | |
| 2012 | #29 | Harrison Smith | DB | Notre Dame | |
| 2013 | #23 | Sharrif Floyd | DT | Florida | |
| 2013 | #25 | Xavier Rhodes | DB | Florida St. | |
| 2013 | #29 | Cordarrelle Patterson | WR | Tennessee | |
| 2014 | #9 | Anthony Barr | LB | UCLA | |
| 2014 | #32 | Teddy Bridgewater | QB | Louisville | |
| 2015 | #11 | Trae Waynes | CB | Michigan St. | |
| 2016 | #23 | Laquon Treadwell | WR | Mississippi | |
| 2018 | #30 | Mike Hughes | CB | Central Florida | |
| 2019 | #18 | Garrett Bradbury | C | North Carolina St. | |
| 2020 | #22 | Justin Jefferson | WR | LSU | |
| 2020 | #31 | Jeff Gladney | CB | TCU | |
| 2021 | #23 | Christian Darrisaw | OL | Virginia Tech | |
| 2022 | #32 | Lewis Cine | DB | Georgia | |
| 2023 | #23 | Jordan Addison | WR | USC | |
| 2024 | #10 | J.J. McCarthy | QB | Michigan | |
| 2024 | #17 | Dallas Turner | LB | Alabama | |
| 2025 | #24 | Donovan Jackson | OL | Ohio St. | |
| 2026 | #18 | Caleb Banks | DT | Florida |