Minnesota Vikings: 10 best second round draft picks of all time

5. E.J. Henderson, linebacker

Spending nine seasons with the Minnesota Vikings after being a second-round pick in the 2003 NFL Draft, E.J. Henderson had to earn his way into the team’s starting lineup. As a rookie, he played in every game but didn’t get a starting nod until his second season with the team.

After that, Henderson held on to that job. He started 105 games for the team in his career and the six-foot-one and 245-pound middle linebacker was even named to the Pro Bowl once in his career.

Henderson ended his career with an impressive 751 combined tackles with 552 of those being solo in addition to 67 tackles for a loss and 15.5 sacks. In the passing game, he defended 20 throws and had five interceptions, returning one for a score.

Henderson was part of the blue-collar Vikings team from 2003 to 2011 which struggled defensively but had some key components who still managed to shine in outdated and obsolete schemes…and E.J. was one of them.