4 best Minnesota Vikings second-round picks of last decade

Eric Kendricks – LB (2015)

Eric Kendricks is another player who many figured would be selected in the first round of the draft, but he fell to the second round.

The reason he fell was due to scouts and teams being concerned about his size at 6-feet and 231 pounds. Instead of measuring his height, perhaps they should’ve paid more attention to his heart and desire for the game of football.

Kendricks has proven that he should’ve been taken on the draft’s biggest night, as he has become one of the best linebackers around since he entered the league.

Kendricks has been a beast for the Vikings since being drafted in 2015. He has 532 career tackles, nine sacks, four interceptions and a couple of touchdowns.

He’s a playmaker and a steady force in the middle of Minnesota’s defense. He was arguably the team’s best defensive player in 2019, coming up with many game-saving plays.

Kendricks excelled in pass coverage last season. He used his exceptional speed to cover any receiver coming his way and he put himself in a position to knock away the pass.

Kendricks shows no signs of slowing down and while it’s hard to say if he’s been the best second-round pick of the Vikings from the last decade, he is definitely in the running.

One thing that is certain is that many teams are kicking themselves for passing on this guy and Minnesota arguably got one of the biggest second-round steals of all-time.