5 best Vikings first-round picks of the Rick Spielman era

Rick Spielman spent 2006-2011 as the vice president of player personnel for the Minnesota Vikings and was promoted to general manager in 2012. Here’s a look at his top first-round draft picks in that time.

Rick Spielman completed his eighth draft as the Minnesota Vikings general manager this off-season. The former Division I-AA National Champion is known for being a very good scout.

He began scouting in 1990 with the now division rivals Detroit Lions where he worked as a college scout until 1995 where he then became a pro scout. He worked his way up the chain on various different NFL teams and has now headed the Vikings to some successful draft classes. He’s brought on guys like Jarius Wright, Shamar Stephen, Stefon Diggs, and Stephen Weatherly and has watched his later round picks blossom into very solid and stable NFL players.

Identifying late round talent is key for a general manager, but let’s look into some first-round picks Spielman has made. If these top picks are missed upon by general managers, this leads to some very long and strenuous rebuilds and some very unhappy fan bases.

Let’s dive into five of Rick Spielman’s great first round picks with the Minnesota Vikings.