ESPN compiled a list of all 32 teams ranking the value they have gotten back over the last 10 years of NFL drafts. For the Minnesota Vikings, that pretty much covers the Rick Spielman era in its entirety.
He looked like a man capable of walking on water putting together one of the best draft classes in the last decade in 2015—Stefon Diggs, Danielle Hunter and Eric Kendricks.
Diggs went on to become one of the best receivers in the game, while Hunter became a multiple-time Pro Bowler. And Kendricks is a former first-team All-Pro linebacker.
If not for that magical year, the Vikings would have fared worse in the draft value rankings. ESPN has them listed at No. 19 in the rankings that were released on Friday, which is lower than both the Green Bay Packers (5) and Detroit Lions (18).
The Chicago Bears got the worst of it for NFC North teams with a No. 21 ranking.
It’s no secret that Spielman was allowed to ride the coattails for the success he had in 2015 for far too long. And no, we aren’t counting no-brainer selections like taking All-Pro receiver Justin Jefferson with the No. 22 overall pick of the 2020 NFL draft.
But overall, Spielman did have a lot of forgettable drafts, and things got weirder deeper into his tenure with the team.
Just last month, ESPN’s Courtney Cronin claimed the former general manager went rogue in 2021 by spending a third-round draft pick on offensive lineman Wyatt Davis, despite scouts not even grading him as a backup.
The team also spent another third-rounder on backup quarterback Kellen Mond, who is believed to be third on the depth chart heading into 2022 behind Kirk Cousins and Sean Mannion.
Laquon Treadwell, Trae Waynes, Mike Hughes, Jeff Gladney and even Garrett Bradbury were all multiple first-round whiffs from the same guy that drafted players like Harrison Smith, Xavier Rhodes, Anthony Barr and Cordarrelle Patterson.
It definitely wasn’t all bad in the Spielman era, despite things ending messy. He did manage to put the foundation in place for the team first-year general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah hopes to turn into a Super Bowl contender.
The fact that he lasted for 10 years as a high-end executive in the NFL is a feat in itself.
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