Who are some of the best players to be drafted at pick No. 18?

Once the 2019 NFL Draft finally kicks off on Thursday, the Minnesota Vikings will have their first opportunity to select a player at pick No. 18 in the first round.

The NFL Draft is now almost here as the annual event is set to begin on Thursday for the Minnesota Vikings and the rest of the league.

Fans are excited. Analysts, coaches, and general managers are continuing to do more and more research and studying as the draft quickly approaches.

This year, the Vikings’ first selection will come at pick No. 18 barring any last minute trades.

Part of what makes the draft so exciting is that a team really never knows who or what they are exactly getting in a prospect. Over the years, we have seen some high draft picks, such as Ryan Leaf, not pan out and we have also seen some late-round selections, like Tom Brady, become huge steals.

Minnesota has experienced some highs and lows at the draft during their history. The Vikings used first-round picks on both Troy Williamson (2005) and Christian Ponder (2011) and neither panned out. But then Minnesota also drafted Randy Moss (1998) and Adrian Peterson (2007) in the first round and they turned out pretty well.

It seems highly unlikely that the Vikings will land a prospect in 2019 that ends up having a career like Moss or Peterson, but they could still get a very productive player.

Minnesota has had success during the last few rounds of the draft over the years too. They took Matt Birk (sixth round) and Stefon Diggs (fifth round) late in their respective drafts and both became huge steals.

In the history of their franchise, the Vikings have held the No.18 pick twice. In 1994 they used it on cornerback Dewayne Washington and in 2005, Minnesota took defensive end Erasmus James with the selection.

Washington was a decent player for the Vikings during his four seasons with the team. James, however, did not pan out (mainly due to injuries) in his three years with Minnesota.

Many are expecting the Vikings to draft an offensive lineman in the first round this year. But just like they did in 2018, they could pull a shocker and go in a totally different direction.

It seems highly unlikely that Minnesota will draft a cornerback in the first round again. However, they could possibly take a tight end or trade down for more picks.

Below are some of the best players to ever be selected with the 18th pick in the NFL Draft.

1972: Thom Darden – S (Michigan)

He spent his entire 10-year career with the Cleveland Browns. Darden was a Pro Bowler in 1978 and a three-time All-Pro selection (1976, 1978 and 1979).

He had 45 career interceptions for 820 yards (both Browns franchise records). His 10 interceptions in 1978 led the NFL.

1980: Art Monk – WR (Syracuse)

The Hall of Famer spent his first 14 seasons with the Washington Redskins.

During his time in Washington, Monk helped the franchise win three Super Bowls and he was a three-time Pro Bowl selection (1984-1986). He was the first ever receiver to record 900 career receptions and he was named to the 1980’s All-Decade Team.

In 16 career seasons, Monk caught a total of 940 receptions (20th all-time) for 12,721 yards (20th all-time) and 68 touchdowns.

1990: Tony Bennett – DE (Mississippi) 

He played eight seasons in the NFL, but he was pretty productive. The first four seasons of his career were spent with the Green Bay Packers and the final four were with the Indianapolis Colts.

During his career, Bennett had had 64.5 total sacks, including 13 in 1991 and 13.5 in 1992.

2001: Jeff Backus – OT (Michigan)

Backus spent all 12 seasons of his NFL career with the Detroit Lions. He started in 186 consecutive games and missed just one matchup.

2004: Will Smith – DE (Ohio State)

Smith spent 10 seasons with the New Orleans Saints before being released by the New England Patriots prior to the start of the 2014 season.

A Pro Bowler in 2006, he recorded 67.5 sacks from 2004 to 2012, including 10.5 in 2006 and 13 in 2009.

2007: Leon Hall – CB (Michigan)

The first nine seasons of Hall’s career were spent with the Cincinnati Bengals. He earned Second-Team All-Pro honors in 2009 after recording a career-high six interceptions that season (with Mike Zimmer as his defensive coordinator).

Hall intercepted five passes during his rookie campaign in 2007 and he racked up a total of 26 picks during his nine seasons in Cincinnati. His performance during his first year earned him a selection to the Pro Football Writers Association All-Rookie Team.

2008: Joe Flacco – QB (Delaware)

The former Super Bowl MVP spent his first 11 seasons with the Baltimore Ravens before being traded this past offseason to the Denver Broncos.

During the Ravens’ magical Super Bowl run in 2012, Flacco threw 11 touchdowns and no interceptions in four playoff games.

He has been a good, not great quarterback during his career, but his 2012 postseason will always rank among the best in NFL history.

2010: Maurkice Pouncey – C (Florida)

Pouncey has spent his entire career with the Pittsburgh Steelers and he has developed into one of the best centers in the game today.

During his career, he has been named to seven Pro Bowls and he is a two-time All-Pro (2011 and 2014).

2012: Melvin Ingram – DE (South Carolina)

The two-time Pro Bowler has been with the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers for his entire NFL career.

So far, Ingram has 42 career sacks (36 in the past four years) and he also has played in all 16 games in five of his seven seasons with the Chargers.

2013: Eric Reid – S (LSU)

After spending the first five seasons of his career with the San Francisco 49ers, he spent this past year with the Carolina Panthers.

During his rookie season, Reid was named to the Pro Bowl and he was also selected to the Pro Football Writers Association All-Rookie Team. He has started in 82 games during his time in the NFL.

2015: Marcus Peters- CB (Washington)

Peters was a member of the Kansas City Chiefs for the first three seasons of his career until he was traded to the Los Angeles Rams in 2018.

Following his first year in the NFL, Peters was a second-team All-Pro selection, the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, and he was named to the Pro Football Writers Association All-Rookie Team. His eight interceptions that season were tied for the most in the league.

After four years in the NFL, Peters is a two-time Pro Bowler (2015 and 2016) and he was a first-team All-Pro selection in 2016.

Who was the best player to ever be drafted with the 18th overall pick? Art Monk seems like the easy choice at this moment in time. Could that change sometime in the near future though? Sure, anything is possible.