Minnesota Vikings: 10 best third-round draft picks of all-time

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SAN FRANCISCO – OCTOBER 12: Tim Irwin #76 and Terry Tausch #66 of the Minnesota Vikings block Michael Carter #95 of the San Francisco 49ers during a game at Candlestick Park on October 12, 1986 in San Francisco, California. The Minnesota Vikings won 27-24 in overtime. (Photo by George Rose/Getty Images) /

3. Tim Irwin, OT – 1981

Very few NFL players can have the kind of career Tim Irwin enjoyed for the Minnesota Vikings. He played in the NFL for 14 years, spending 13 of those with the purple and gold where he locked down the right tackle spot.

Irwin didn’t start a game until his second season with Minnesota. But once he did, there was no looking back as the six-foot-seven and 300-pound offensive lineman was a mainstay with the unit until he left the team following the 1993 NFL season.

The Tennessee product was All-SEC and an Academic All-American in 1980, so it’s not a surprise that he went on to become a special player for the Vikings. His key attribute was his awareness, as he recovered eight fumbles in his career.

While Irwin was never named to an All-Pro team or the Pro Bowl, there is something special to be said for a player who can lock down a position for over a decade. Following his retirement from the NFL, he created a football league for kids and used his legal degree to become the Judge of the Juvenile Court for Knox County.

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