Who are the best Minnesota Vikings undrafted free agents signed by Rick Spielman?
In 2012, Rick Spielman graduated from the Minnesota Vikings vice president of player personnel to the team’s general manager. Spielman shared decision-making authority with Vikings owner Zygi Wilf and then-coach Brad Childress from 2006 until his general manager promotion-date.
Although Spielman is credited, to a degree, for drafting players like Adrian Peterson and Percy Harvin, he wasn’t granted official general manager authority until he got the new job title with Minnesota in 2012. So, this commentary will, therefore, focus on his performance in the last eight years.
During Spielman’s official tenure as the Vikings general manager, a total of 64 undrafted free agents have appeared in games for the purple and gold. This includes players like safety Andrew Sendejo, who had a stint with the Dallas Cowboys before landing in Minnesota in 2011.
64 probably sounds high, but it really isn’t. In the same eight-season time period, the Chicago Bears have suited up 89 undrafted players and the rival Green Bay Packers have had 88 guys play for them who were undrafted.
Comparatively, many more Vikings players that were acquired via the NFL Draft have landed active roster spots since 2012. This is likely due to the gobs of late-round picks that Spielman likes to squirrel away each year.
Nine Minnesota players that entered the league with an undrafted classification have earned a Pro Bowls selection during their tenure in purple. Some of the most notable undrafted players to ever suit up for the Vikings include Mick Tingelhoff, John Randle, Pat Williams, and Warren Moon.
That’s the distant past, so let’s go over the best undrafted guys who were brought in by Spielman ranked in ascending order.