Minnesota Vikings: Top 30 draft picks in franchise history

Sep 20, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings former defensive player Alan Page takes part in the pre-game festivities before the Vikings play the Detroit Lions at TCF Bank Stadium. The Vikings win 26-16. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

1. Alan Page

Alan Page was selected by the Vikings out of Notre Dame with the no. 15 overall pick in the 1967 draft.

Page would go on to become the anchor of the Vikings’ legendary Purple People Eaters and arguably the most dominating interior defensive lineman in NFL history .

The Vikings would go to four Super Bowls in the ’60s and ’70s largely thanks to Page and their historically great defense.

Page went to nine Pro Bowls as a member of the Vikings and was a six-time first-team All-Pro selection.

In 1971, Page won the NFL MVP award. He entered the Hall of Fame in 1988.

The Vikings have done well with draft picks out of Notre Dame over the years, and it started with Alan Page.

You can’t go wrong with either Page or Tarkenton at the top of this list. Both were instrumental in establishing the Vikings as one of the most dominating teams of the ’70s.

But the identity of the Vikings was really the defense more than the offense, and Page was the heart and soul of that defense.