The 2026 NFL Draft kicks off on Thursday in Pittsburgh for the Minnesota Vikings and the rest of the league, and the opening round got a big jolt over the weekend, as the New York Giants sent disgruntled defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals in exchange for the No. 10 overall selection, thus giving Big Blue a pair of top-10 picks as they also still have their own pick at No. 5.
Now, this trade really has no effect whatsoever on the current version of the Vikings.
Sure, they're in the same conference in the Giants, but the two clubs are obviously in different divisions and don't even play one another in 2026.
They could conceivably battle for a wild-card slot, I suppose, but that's some wishful thinking for both teams right now. The Vikes also don't play Cincy this season.
Nevertheless, this deal does bring up a bit of a painful memory for fans of the Purple and Gold. You see, before this deal went down, the last time a team traded a non-quarterback for a top-10 pick in the draft was when Minnesota dealt legendary wideout Randy Moss to the then-Oakland Raiders back in 2005.
Minnesota Vikings traded Randy Moss for the No. 7 overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft
Moss, of course, made an immediate impact after the Vikings took him in the first round of the 1998 draft at No. 21 overall, earning Offensive Rookie of the Year honors, a trip to the Pro Bowl, a First-Team All-Pro selection, and a third-place finish in the NFL MVP voting after catching 69 passes for 1,313 yards and a league-leading 17 touchdowns.
Yeah, that was year one.
In his first seven seasons, the Marshall alum racked up 574 receptions for 9,142 yards and 90 touchdowns, earning five trips to the Pro Bowl and three First-Team All-Pro selections.
But that productivity came with a price, as Moss didn't have the greatest attitude back then, and the Vikings simply grew tired of his behavior.
So, on March 2, 2005, Minnesota dealt Moss to the Raiders, receiving linebacker Napoleon Harris and a pair of picks in the '05 draft in return, those being Oakland's first-round pick at No. 7 overall, which was used on South Carolina wideout Troy Williamson, and a seventh-rounder at No. 219, which was used on UTEP cornerback Adrian Ward.
The best piece for Minnesota in that return haul actually turned out to be Harris, who ultimately spent three seasons with the Vikings (there was one year with the Kansas City Chiefs in between the first two and the last one) and recorded 116 tackles, 4.5 sacks, seven passes defended, and three interceptions in 39 regular-season appearances.
Williamson sadly turned out to be an absolute bust, catching just 79 passes for 1,067 yards and three touchdowns over three seasons before being traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars for a sixth-round pick. After two years with the Jags, his NFL career came to an end.
As for Ward, his career never really started, as he was waived by Minnesota ahead of the 2005 regular season. He spent some time on the Giants' practice squad, but that didn't last long either, and he was out of football in 2006 before spending a short time with the CFL's Calgary Stampeders in 2007.
Vikings fans certainly remember what else happened in 2007.
After a forgettable two-year run with the Raiders, Moss was traded to the New England Patriots ahead of the '07 campaign and had arguably the best year of his career, catching 98 passes for 1,493 yards and setting a new NFL single-season record with 23 receiving touchdowns in helping the Pats to an undefeated regular season.
After three-plus seasons in Foxborough, Moss was traded back to Minnesota during the 2010 season, catching 13 passes for 174 yards and two touchdowns in four games before being waived.
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