15 greatest Minnesota Vikings draft picks of all-time
By Adam Patrick
Chris Doleman – DE
Draft Year: 1985
Draft Selection: Pick No. 4 (First Round)
Entering the 1985 NFL Draft, Chris Doleman actually wasn’t the guy that the Vikings wanted to select. Minnesota had their heart set on former Miami quarterback Bernie Kosar.
However, Kosar didn’t want to play for the Vikings, so he figured out a way to avoid being drafted by Minnesota, and Doleman wound up with the purple and gold in 1985.
Even though the Vikings wanted Kosar, Doleman was certainly a great consolation prize, and he definitely went on to have a better career than the former Miami quarterback.
Doleman spent the first nine years of his career in Minnesota, including the 1989 season, when he exploded and finished with a whopping 21 sacks. The Vikings traded him in 1994, but he found his way back to the franchise for one final season in 1999.
During his career in Minnesota, he was a six-time Pro Bowler, a two-time First-Team All-Pro, and he accumulated a total of 96.5 sacks. In 2012, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.