NFL.com calls Christian Ponder the Vikings’ biggest QB misstep ever

The Minnesota Vikings reached for a quarterback when they drafted Christian Ponder and NFL.com had some harsh words about the team’s decision.

Things didn’t work out for Christian Ponder during his time with the Minnesota Vikings. After being drafted twelfth overall in the 2011 NFL Draft, he struggled to put together a successful four seasons while wearing purple and gold.

Ponder’s best season came in 2012 when he capitalized off the success of Adrian Peterson‘s historic season where he nearly broke the single-season rushing record and was the league MVP. The quarterback had career-highs in touchdowns (18) and passing yards per game (183.4) that year and the team made the playoffs.

However, for that year that was decent, there were others that were brutal. The other three seasons saw Ponder start 20 games where the team had a combined record of 4-15-1 and didn’t even sniff the playoffs

That first round draft pick used on Christian Ponder is one that many fans and the organization itself likely wishes they could have a do-over for, but sadly time travel isn’t something Rick Spielman has figured out quite yet.

Recently, Ali Bhanpuri of NFL.com put together a list of the greatest passers for each franchise, also adding the team’s biggest quarterback misstep. And it wasn’t much of a surprise to see Ponder included among the missteps.

"“After just three seasons, the franchise had seen enough of Ponder to trade back into the first round of the 2014 draft to take Teddy Bridgewater. Ponder started just one more game for Minnesota before his NFL career came to an end.”"

It may sound strange, but there are plenty of options for players who could be on this list. For example, Bridgewater only started 28 games for Minnesota as a first-round pick and averaged only 205 passing yards per game. But his completion percentage and the way he lost his job as a starter (injury) likely saved his status.

Plus, there are always the disasters which were Donovan McNabb and Josh Freeman in purple and gold. However, neither of those players cost the team a first round pick or set the team back too far by the signings.

Outside of a handful of quarterbacks like Fran Tarkenton, Daunte Culpepper, and a few others, the Minnesota Vikings have really struggled at finding great passers in the draft, which is one of the reasons the team had to invest so heavily in acquiring the services of Kirk Cousins for their current roster.

Bhanpuri had it pretty easy with Minnesota. Fran Tarkenton is the only quarterback drafted by the Vikings to be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and holds nearly every passing record for the franchise. And when it comes to the biggest misstep, Ponder is an easy name to choose for that distinction as well.