Minnesota Vikings: Top 30 draft picks in franchise history
By Dan Zinski
Jan 30, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Minnesota Vikings former center Matt Birk speaks during the Don Shula high school coach of the year press conference at the Phoenix Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
8. Matt Birk
As the TV commercial used to say, Matt Birk went to Harvard.
The Vikings thought enough of Birk’s play at Harvard to select him 173rd overall in the 1988 draft.
Birk started out as backup to Pro Bowl center Jeff Christy, but in 2000 he became the starter himself. Birk made the Pro Bowl after his first season as the starting center and went on to make five more in his career.
Birk was named All-Pro twice in his time with the Vikings.
Fittingly for a guy smart enough to go to Harvard, Birk in 2014 accepted a position as the NFL’s director of football development.