Bleacher Report did a redraft of the 2003 class, and the Vikings wound up with the same player they took originally: Kevin Williams.
Though Minnesota took Williams in 2003, the sequence of events involved in making that pick were bizarre.
The Vikings ran out of time at pick No. 7, which gave teams behind them the opportunity to take a player before Minnesota could draft.
The Vikings argued that they submitted their draft card with a trade with the Ravens, but the league said they never heard confirmation from Baltimore.
Then, the Panthers and Jaguars both picked before Minnesota had a chance to draft. Despite having the No. 7 overall choice, the Vikings took Williams at No. 9.
In Bleacher Report’s redraft of 2003, Williams is the No. 7 pick. Here’s what the outlet said about the choice:
“Re-drafting the same player wouldn’t all of a sudden give the Vikings their first Super Bowl title, but Minnesota won the division twice and won a pair of playoff games during Williams’ tenure. They’d at least replicate that success with Williams, while the same can’t be said with certainty of anyone else still on the board.”
Overall, Williams ended up being a great defensive lineman for the Vikings, and he was a big contributor on defense for many years. I’d be happy with the team keeping it that way in a hypothetical situation.