Ranking every Vikings wide receiver drafted in the first round
By Tim Arcand
7. Laquon Treadwell (2016)
To no surprise, Laquon Treadwell kicks off the list as the lowest-ranked, first-round draft pick ever taken by Minnesota in Round 1 of the NFL Draft.
Coming off an 11-5 season in 2015, the Vikings needed to find a replacement for Mike Wallace whom they acquired in a trade with Miami before that season. Wallace did not quite fill the need in 2015 catching only 39 passes for 473 yards and two touchdowns and the Vikings cut him. His time in Minnesota was one week less than a year.
According to Walter Football, Treadwell was second-ranked wide receiver available that year. When the Vikings turn to select cam up at 23rd he was still on the board. The third consecutive wide receiver drafted, and the four taken in Round 1, it looked like the Vikings got lucky.
Treadwell entered the draft after his junior year at Ole Miss. That season he led the Bulldogs with 82 receptions for 1,153 yards and 11 touchdowns. He finished his college career with 202 receptions, 2,393 yards, and 21 touchdowns.
Little did anyone know that in his four seasons with the Vikings, Treadwell never came close to his collegiate performance. What makes this pick even worse, Treadwell never ever even came close to the production that Wallace had in 2015.
Signed as a free agent by the Atlanta Falcons this offseason, Treadwell leaves Minnesota after four seasons playing in 53 games, catching 65 passes for 701 yards and only two touchdowns.