With the NFL Draft right around the corner and our Kyle Ratke ranked the Vikings’ three best second-round picks since 2000.
With the NFL Draft right around the corner and our Kyle Ratke ranked the Vikings’ three best second-round picks since 2000.
3. LB, E.J. Henderson, 2003
Our apologies to tight end Kyle Rudolph for missing out on this list. I guess you could go either way, but I’ve got Henderson here.
Henderson became an full-time starter for this time in his second season and had 761 combined tackles over nine seasons, making the Pro Bowl in 2010.
His 559 solo tackles rank seventh in team history.
It wouldn’t take much for me ($20, maybe $10) to put Rudolph in this spot over Henderson.
2. LB, Eric Kendricks, 2015
Vikings fans have known for a hot minute how good Kendricks is and how much he has meant to the team’s defense over the years. He was rewarded with an All-Pro and Pro Bowl appearance in 2019. It’s been the best of his career, but it certainly didn’t come out of nowhere.
At 28 years old, Kendricks has plenty left to contribute to this team’s defense.
Kendricks turned out to be a better player than the team’s first-round pick (Trae Waynes) in the 2015 draft.
1. RB, Dalvin Cook, 2017
I know, I know. We are only three years into Cook’s career and he’s missed 19 games. But man, when he’s on, he looks like one of the best players in the entire NFL.
In just 14 games in 2019, we saw Cook run for 1,135 yards and 13 touchdowns to go with 53 receptions for 519 yards.
Cook should have been a first-round pick, but there were some off-the-field worries about Cook coming out of Florida State. So far, though, he’s been a stand-up guy and a leader for the Vikings.
Cook is only 24 years old and it really feels like he could become one of the most dangerous weapons in the league for the next five years. Of course, health plays a big part of that.
