The Vikings have selected at 11th overall three times with Daunte Culpepper being the most notable
The NFL draft is known as a crap shoot. You can find a hall of fame player just about anywhere but being able to identify them is the biggest challenge. Some teams can find great talent anywhere while others struggle to find good players in round one where it’s the easiest to identify those talents.
The Minnesota Vikings are no strangers to inconsistencies in the NFL draft and you can look at their history at pick 11 for just that. In their history, they have selected three times at the 11th overall pick, all of which have happened since 1995.
Who have the Vikings selected at 11th overall? Lets take a look.
The mystique of Jeff George is something we got to enjoy in 1999
Welcome to the 25 SKOL’s of Christmas!
In a similar vein to how Freeform has done the 25 days of Christmas, we will look back at different moments in Vikings history to bring a little extra joy to you this holiday season.
It’s that simple. The holidays can be a trying time for some people and we want to put a smile on people’s faces by reminiscing about some truly joyous times in Vikings’ history.
On the twenty-first SKOL of Christmas, the Vikings gave to me: Jeff George saving the 1999 season with moon shots.
The 1999 season was an interesting one for the Vikings. They were a field goal away from making the Super Bowl. Quarterback Randall Cunningham was such a renaissance with his near MVP campaign that the Vikings traded Brad Johnson to Washington for first, second and third-round picks.
Unfortunately, Cunningham couldn’t duplicate the same magic as the Vikings started out the season with a 2-4 record. Jeff George took over halfway through week six against the Detroit Lions and ended up finishing the season with an 8-2 record. It was another quarterback in the long line of journeymen that Green had success with.
Him playing well as a whole isn’t the story. It was how he played. George was the ultimate gunslinger. He had all the arm talent in the world but his attitude kept him from ever reaching his full potential. Some of the throws that he made were on another level. They are on the level of Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen.
I'm firmly down the wormhole now and just enjoying watching Jeff George rip 50-yard ropes down the field to Moss.
The arm talent was absurd and he meshed well with the Vikings’ receivers, but they chose to move on in favor of third-string quarterback and 1999 first-round pick Daunte Culpepper. The tenure was only one season, but they made that season count.
The star receiver set many records and this one he did in style
Welcome to the 25 SKOL’s of Christmas!
In a similar vein to how Freeform has done the 25 days of Christmas, we will look back at different moments in Vikings history to bring a little extra joy to you this holiday season.
It’s that simple. The holidays can be a trying time for some people and we want to put a smile on people’s faces by reminiscing about some truly joyous times in Vikings’ history.
On the fifteenth SKOL of Christmas, the Vikings gave to me: Cris Carter catching his 1,000th pass in the endzone.
The 2000 season was a wild one. The Vikings were coming off a 10-6 season that saw the Vikings start both Randal Cunningham and Jeff George, but they decided to go with their second-year quarterback Daunte Culpepper.
Early on, he showed struggles but as the season went on, he developed a great rapport with Randy Moss and Cris Carter.
After more than a decade in the NFL, Carter was chasing a milestone that had only been done by Jerry Rice: catching 1,000 passes.
He got closer each week and was just five catches away after a Thanksgiving Day win over the Dallas Cowboys. What was fitting is that his next opportunity was also on national television: a Thursday night special on ESPN.
He caught four passes in the first quarter and it didn’t take long for him to catch number 1,000. On the first play of the second quarter, Carter ran a simple sprint out fade to get the fateful 1,000th catch.
For a player that had dealt with a lot of demons, seeing him get number 1,000 was special. His family was on the sidelines and he celebrated with them immediately.
The Vikings won the game 24-17 and Carter etched his name in history.
The debate continues to rage on regarding Kirk Cousins and Daunte Culpepper, even though it has a clear and obvious winner.
Just one week before Memorial Day, there isn’t a lot going on before the end of the month. The one thing that happened on Monday was the beginning of phase three of Organized Team Activities. What can we get from these practices? What is Tyler most looking forward to seeing?
As it often does, the debate about who the best quarterback is between Daunte Culpepper and Kirk Cousins rages on. The debate was re-ignited by PFF’s Sam Monson and Steve Palozzolo on an episode of the PFF NFL Podcast. It’s a difficult conversation to have, but one that needs to happen.
Who is better and why is it Culpepper? We discuss this in-depth on the latest episode of The Real Forno Show line at 6 pm central time or on demand on the Vikings 1st & SKOL YouTube channel.
On the latest episode, the guys discuss draft haul rankings and Daunte Culpepper vs. Kirk Cousins.
When you look at the haul a team gets during the NFL draft, it’s a combination of the picks they make and the undrafted free agent. Thor Nystrom of Fantasy Pros unveils his draft haul rankings and the Minnesota Vikings rank 27th. Is that ranking fair or foul? The guys discuss.
They also talk about third-round pick Mekhi Blackmon and what he can do for the Vikings this year. He has talent, but should we expect a third-round pick to play a major role on the defense?
Also, there is discussion about OTAs, Daunte Culpepper versus Kirk Cousins and more. You can catch the episode below.
The Minnesota Vikings have a historically unsuccessful history when it comes to drafting quarterbacks. @TheRealForno breaks it down.
The Minnesota Vikings are likely to draft a quarterback in the 2023 NFL draft. They need to find a quarterback of the future and Kirk Cousins is set to be a free agent after the season.
There are a few options out there at the position and we highlighted some of them last week. The Vikings have 4-5 options they could take in the first round with Will Levis and Hendon Hooker being the most likely options.
There are some in the fanbase that are weary of drafting a quarterback in the first round, especially if it involves a trade up. Who can blame them? The Vikings haven’t prioritized the position and the last five quarterbacks that they drafted have all busted in some way, shape or form.
When taking a look at the history of the position, I looked at it from 1980 on. Fran Tarkenton is the only true franchise quarterback that the Vikings have had with the only other debatable players being Daunte Culpepper and Cousins.
As I dove into the research, it was startling how little the Vikings have put into the position over the years. It’s especially alarming because they haven’t had that true franchise guy in over 40 years. Let’s take a deep dive.
The Vikings hired Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O’Connell to find their franchise quarterback writes @jzulgad.
There are a multitude of reasons why Rick Spielman no longer sits in the general manager’s chair at TCO Performance Center. A primary one was his inability to solve the Vikings’ quarterback conundrum during his run as the man in charge.
Spielman was sharing power over personnel decisions with coach Leslie Frazier in 2011 when he made Christian Ponder the 12th-overall pick in the draft. Ponder spent four seasons in Minnesota and ranks among the Vikings’ biggest draft busts. Spielman’s next big swing came in 2014 when he selected Teddy Bridgewater with the 32nd pick in the opening round. The hope of Bridgewater turning into a franchise QB ended with a gruesome, non-contact leg injury just before the 2016 season.
That resulted in trading a first-round pick for Sam Bradford, whose career was derailed by injury in 2017; the decision to go with Case Keenum, a huge one-season success; and finally the signing of Kirk Cousins to a fully guaranteed free-agent contract in 2018. (There’s no reason to pile on by mentioning Josh Freeman’s disastrous one-game stint in 2013.)
When Spielman was shown the door, along with coach Mike Zimmer, after the 2021 season, the investment in Cousins had led to only one playoff appearance in four seasons and back-to-back losing years.
The amazing thing is that in Cousins’ five years with the Vikings, there’s a case to be made that he’s among the top five among quarterbacks in franchise history. Fran Tarkenton is atop that list and then the debate begins with names (in no particular order) such as Daunte Culpepper, Randall Cunningham, Brett Favre, Tommy Kramer, Warren Moon and Cousins.
That means a franchise that began play in 1961 has had one franchise quarterback and he retired 45 years ago. Not surprisingly, this has created nervousness among some about the decision of new general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and coach Kevin O’Connell to begin exploring a future without Cousins.
If you haven’t been paying attention this offseason, the Vikings have done everything but write Cousins a Dear John letter to announce their intention of a breakup after the 2023 season. The latest indication of this came when the Star Tribune’s Andrew Krammer reported Cousins had asked for less than what the Giants gave Daniel Jones but that conversation went nowhere.
As much confidence as O’Connell showed in Cousins throughout last season, here’s the truth of the matter: Adofo-Mensah and O’Connell weren’t hired to stick with Cousins long term. He turns 35 in August and even with a recent contract restructure will count $28.5 million against the salary cap in 2023.
O’Connell, in particular, was hired to find Cousins’ replacement and solve this longtime issue at quarterback. O’Connell played the position at San Diego State and was drafted in the third round by the New England Patriots in 2008. While he only appeared in two career games and threw six passes, his work with quarterbacks as an assistant impressed the Vikings enough to put their trust in him. It’s clear O’Connell knows what he’s doing and what he wants.
He was able to lead the Vikings to a 13-win season in his first year as a coach and oversaw a Cousins-led offense that had an NFL-record tying eight four-quarter comebacks. What the Vikings would like to see is O’Connell build off that success with a young quarterback, preferably a first-round pick, who will spend his first five seasons in Minnesota playing on a rookie contract and be as successful, if not more so, than Cousins.
NFC North titles shouldn’t be the goal. Long playoff runs and Super Bowl appearance should.
There is a necessity on the financial side considering wide receiver Justin Jefferson figures to get a huge contract this offseason that will kick in in 2025. Left tackle Christian Darrisaw, a first-round pick the year after Jefferson, will be eligible for a big extension next offseason. The easiest way to retain key players, and build a competitive roster, starts with having a quarterback on a rookie contract.
When you are normally as competitive as the Vikings have been throughout their existence, being in a position to draft a top quarterback prospect isn’t easy. But that’s why Adofo-Mensah and O’Connell are reportedly kicking the tires on different options and why the name of Kentucky’s Will Levis has been tied to the Vikings more than once.
It’s in the Vikings best interest to do as much due diligence as possible when it comes to life without Cousins. Owners Zygi and Mark Wilf trust Adofo-Mensah and O’Connell to do what their predecessors couldn’t and finally deliver a long-term franchise QB.
The pressure to do so will be immense and likely determine how long both are in their current positions. There is plenty of risk, but the potential reward could finally land a Lombardi in the trophy case.
Judd Zulgad is co-host of the Purple Daily Podcast and Mackey & Judd podcast at www.skornorth.com
Burleson played with the Vikings from 2003-2005 after being drafted in the third round out of Nevada.
Former Vikings wide receiver and current NFL Network personality Nate Burleson ranked his top-5 teammates during his career over at NFL.com.
Three former Vikings appear on the list.
Quarterback Daunte Culpepper is listed at No. 5, cornerback Antoine Winfield was No. 4 and wide receiver Randy Moss was listed No. 1.
Burleson played with the Vikings from 2003-2005 after being drafted in the third round out of Nevada. In 2004, he had the best season of his career, finishing with 68 catches for 1,006 yards and nine touchdowns.
Here’s a bit of what Burleson wrote about Moss:
Seriously, I would line up next to him, look at the DBs guarding him, and they were already on their heels. Moss already won and the play hadn’t even started. Hands down the most natural and physically gifted athlete I ever played with.
Burleson only played two seasons with Moss, but in those two seasons Moss had a combined 2,399 receiving yards and 30 touchdowns. Not bad.
