Tag: Chris Hovan

99 days until Vikings season opener: Every player to wear No. 99

Danielle Hunter headlines the list, but who else has worn the number 99 for the Minnesota Vikings?

It’s the final countdown…

Well, sort of.

Yesterday began the 99-day countdown for the start of the Vikings 2023 season, which will open on Sept. 10 at home against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

From now until then, we will take a trip down memory lane and count each day by revisiting the players that have worn that specific jersey number.

Defensive end Danielle Hunter currently wears No. 99 and has worn it since 2015. Outside of Hunter, no one has occupied the number for longer than five seasons, with Chris Hovan wearing it between 2000 and 2004.

With 99 days until kickoff, here’s a look at every player to wear No. 99 with the Vikings (via Pro Football Reference):

Touchdown Wire analyzes Vikings’ first-rounder Chris Hovan, 20 years later

Minnesota selected Chris Hovan in the first round of the NFL Draft in 2000. Touchdown Wire takes a look back at the pick.

In the 2000 NFL Draft, Minnesota took defensive tackle Chris Hovan with its first-round choice.

Hovan went on to play in the NFL for 10 seasons. After his time in Minnesota, he went to the Buccaneers. Now with 20 years of hindsight, our friends at Touchdown Wire ranked each pick in the 2000 draft.

The outlet gave the Vikings’ pick of Hovan a C grade. 

Here’s what they said:

“He had 22 sacks and 408 total tackles. The former Boston College star never earned any honors on the NFL level.”

Maybe Hovan didn’t live up to the hype of a first-round pick, but he still had a pretty long career where he was decent at times. Hovan had two seasons where he tallied five sacks or more at the defensive tackle position. He wasn’t a Hall of Famer, but he still had his moments, and Touchdown Wire gave Minnesota a passing grade because of that.

The outlet went easy on Minnesota and Hovan compared to its analysis of the Browns picking Courtney Brown first overall.