25 Years Ago: When Randy Moss was drafted by the Vikings

25 years ago, the Minnesota Vikings decided to use their first-round pick in the 1998 NFL Draft on former Marshall wide receiver Randy Moss.

In 1997, the Minnesota Vikings finished 9-7 for the second straight year. The division that used to be known as the NFC Central was loaded that season and Minnesota’s record put the franchise in fourth place.

During the 1997 playoffs, the Vikings tripped up the New York Giants by one point in the Wild Card round before losing to the San Francisco 49ers in the Divisional round.

Despite having a fairly good roster, Minnesota struggled in 1997 with an 11th-ranked offense that averaged 22.1 points per game. If the organization was going to get further in the playoffs, something drastic needed to change.

Fortunately for the Vikings, that change came in the 1998 NFL Draft.

25 Years Ago: Minnesota Vikings select Randy Moss in the 1998 NFL Draft

As a nearly undefendable receiver at DuPont High School in DuPont, West Virginia, Randy Moss was recruited by dozens of big name schools.

In the spring of 1995, he eventually decided to join Coach Lou Holtz and Notre Dame. Unfortunately, Moss was involved in a fight during his senior year that brought him jail time, two misdemeanor battery charges, and expulsion from DuPont High. Once Holtz and the administrators found out what happened, the school withdrew its scholarship offer.

Florida State and head coach Bobby Bowden swooped in to take Moss and Bowden compared the receiver’s talent to former FSU star cornerback Deion Sanders.  But during his redshirt freshman year with the ‘Noles in 1996, Moss tested positive for marijuana, and Florida State dismissed him as well.

With not very many options left, Moss enrolled at Marshall University, a school about an hour from his home. At the time, Marshall was a Division I-AA school which meant that Moss could transfer in and play immediately.

During his first year with the program, Moss caught 78 passes for 1,709 yards and 28 touchdowns. Additionally, he had 612 kick return yards. Marshall advanced through the I-AA playoffs and soundly defeated the University of Montana in the title game. Moss had no less than four touchdowns during the contest.

Then, in 1997, Moss and Marshall quarterback Chad Pennington connected 96 times for 1,820 yards and 26 scores. 1997 was the first season that Marshall played at the I-A level, and the program still finished 10-3 and lost to Ole Miss in the Motor City Bowl.

After the game, Moss declared for the 1998 NFL Draft.

There was no doubt at the time that Moss was one of the most talented playmakers coming out of college. However, the primary issue was his off-the-field issues before becoming a member of the Thundering Herd.

For a number of NFL organizations, it didn’t matter that Moss had stayed out of trouble during his time in Huntington. It also didn’t seem to matter that he was a unanimous All-American and MAC Offensive Player of the Year in 1997.

The fact that Moss had gotten into hot water in high school and tested positive for drugs years earlier raised character red flags for several teams.

At the time, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones desperately wanted Moss, but ultimately passed on him in the 1998 NFL Draft for a “safer” pick in North Carolina defensive end Greg Ellis. Moss continued to slide past the middle of the first round, and media pundits were shocked yet noted his off-field issues as the primary reason.

Meanwhile, in Minnesota, head coach Dennis Green was licking his chops at the prospect of Moss landing in their laps. The Vikings didn’t pick until the 21st slot, but it was starting to look like a miracle might happen.

"“I think Denny [Green] had a really good eye for talent that he thought was just different, and Randy was more different than any athlete that I had seen in my entire time in the league.” "

- Former Viking Robert Smith (via PFF)

Green made some calls to veteran receivers Cris Carter and Jake Reed as well as quarterbacks Randall Cunningham and Brad Johnson. Each player insisted they were on board with Moss joining the Vikes.

Sure enough, Moss continued to drop until he reached the 21st overall selection and Green sprang into action. 

Aftermath

Moss was more than excited to be a member of a playoff caliber team, but he also promised retribution to the clubs that failed to select him.

Then, during his first training camp with the Vikings, Moss’ new teammates were blown away by his speed and athleticism.

"“When Randy came into camp, I remember seeing him in the first practice, and it’s only in shorts, but I just … I remember seeing him and just knew … there’s just something different. The way that somebody moves in relation to all these other professional athletes and the way that he snatched the ball out of the air and just how smooth and how quickly he accelerated.” "

- Robert Smith (via PFF)

When the 1998 regular season began, it was quickly apparent that opponents couldn’t figure out how to cover Moss. The team began the year 7-0 before losing to division rival Tampa Bay in Week 9.

Then, the Vikes squared off against the Cowboys on Thanksgiving and Moss caught only three passes. It just so happened that those three catches accounted for 163 receiving yards and three touchdowns in a 46-36 victory.

By the end of his rookie year, Moss had 69 receptions for 1,313 yards and an NFL rookie record 17 touchdown catches (which also led the league that year).

The Vikings passing game and offense as a whole benefitted from the addition of Moss. That year, the team ranked first in total offense and set a new NFL record with 556 points scored (34.8 points per game average), over 200 points more than in 1997.

At 15-1, Minnesota had their best record in team history and took care of the Arizona Cardinals in the Divisional round. Then, during the NFC Championship game, Vikings kicker Gary Anderson missed his first kick that season, which would have put the team up by ten against the Atlanta Falcons. Instead, the game went into overtime, and the Falcons won, stunning the Vikings and their fans, and preventing a trip to Super Bowl XXXIII.

After the 1998 season, Moss continued to be an impact player for the organization until he was sent to the Oakland Raiders in early 2005.