No. 5 – Kevin Williams, Defensive Tackle (2003)
Kevin Williams crept onto the scene from Oklahoma State University in 2003. In the season preceding his addition to the squad, the Vikings had an uncharacteristically poor showing for that era. It was 2002, and head coach Mike Tice was starting his career as skipper. The Vikings advertised their new strategy to the world–a “ratio” detailing exactly how much they would throw the football to wideout Randy Moss. The strategy failed.
Because of the season-long display of losing football, the Vikings wound up with the ninth overall pick in the 2003 NFL Draft. With it, the team selected Kevin Williams. He was an immediate starter in 2003 effectively replacing Lance Johnstone on the defensive line. Although, Johnstone remained on the team for three more years, mainly as a third-down specialist.
In his rookie campaign, Williams notched 10.5 sacks which was second in the NFL among rookies. Terrell Suggs, who played in the NFL up until last year, led all rookies with 12 sacks. Williams also led all rookies in tackles for loss with 15. He could stuff the run and defile the opposing the quarterback.
Williams would remain with the team for 11 seasons and eventually retire from the league in 2015.