10 worst Vikings draft picks during the Rick Spielman era

5. Matt Kalil, OT

First round, fourth overall

(2012)

Before the Vikings made the mistake of selecting Robinson in 2012, Minnesota went ahead and used the fourth overall pick on Kalil in that same draft. He was thought of as the top offensive tackle in his draft class and the Vikings thought that they were stabilizing the left side of their line for at least a decade by selecting Kalil.

Minnesota Vikings

Like Patterson, Kalil’s first year with Minnesota could not have gone much better. He was part of the offensive line that helped Adrian Peterson rush for over 2,000 yards and he was rewarded with a trip to the Pro Bowl for his work in 2012.

The future was looking bright for the young offensive tackle and the Vikings felt re-assured that they had made the right choice by drafting him. However, the rest of his time in Minnesota was not as wonderful as his rookie season.

Although he was reliable when it came to being out on the field each week (started in 66 straight games), reliable is not a word that would be used to describe his blocking abilities with the Vikings. On more occasions than not, Kalil could never seem to figure out how to prevent opposing pass rushers from getting to Minnesota’s quarterback.

In his last year with the Vikings in 2016, he only lasted two games because of a season-ending injury to his hip. Oh, and he made a mind-boggling $11 million last season too.

Notable players drafted after Kalil:

Luke Kuechly (Car), Chandler Jones (NE), Kelechi Osemele (Bal)