You may not want to read this...

In 25 years of following Viking drafts online there's only been 2 instances where I absolutely knew the Vikings were screwed.

1. Christian ponder

2. 2022 kwesi first draft

As a fan, ya think, well maybe I don't know, or ya gotta let things play out, maybe they'll develop.... But in both cases deep down I knew they were drawing dead. I couldn't shake the feeling they had missed badly.

On the flip side of that as fan i absolutely knew moss, Peterson harvin were gonna be amazing.

It works both ways.

Mattyman wrote:
In 25 years of following Viking drafts online there's only been 2 instances where I absolutely knew the Vikings were screwed.

1. Christian ponder

2. 2022 kwesi first draft

As a fan, ya think, well maybe I don't know, or ya  gotta  let things play out, maybe they'll develop.... But in both cases deep down I knew they were drawing dead. I couldn't shake the feeling they had missed badly.

On the flip side of that as fan i absolutely knew moss, Peterson harvin were gonna be amazing.

It works both ways.

Most hated draft moments...

1. Laquon Treadwell
2. Trading down from 12 all the way to 32 in 2022 and somehow not getting a 1st rounder out of that? Madness
3. Chris Cook. Really wanted Rodger Saffold that year. We traded down, missed on Saffold and took this bum. 
4. Derrick Alexander over Warren Sapp
5. Tai Felton last year. Nothing against the player, just the position, and how it went down. Vikings were jumped at 97 for Xavier Watts, so traded down to 102, where they were jumped by the Broncos for Sai'vion Jones. With two targets off the board we should've just tapped into that rich RB market. Tuten and Skattebo were both on the board. Hopeful about Felton though.

MaroonBells wrote:

Most hated draft moments...

1. Laquon Treadwell
2. Trading down from 12 all the way to 32 in 2022 and somehow not getting a 1st rounder out of that? Madness
3. Chris Cook. Really wanted Rodger Saffold that year. We traded down, missed on Saffold and took this bum. 
4. Derrick Alexander over Warren Sapp
5. Tai Felton last year. Nothing against the player, just the position, and how it went down. Vikings were jumped at 97 for Xavier Watts, so traded down to 102, where they were jumped by the Broncos for Sai'vion Jones. With two targets off the board we should've just tapped into that rich RB market. Tuten and Skattebo were both on the board. Hopeful about Felton though.

Can you say...Demetrious Underwood?

FourCornersViking wrote:

Can you say...Demetrious Underwood?

Underwood was certainly eyebrow raising considering he went well above where he was supposed to go. But I was talking about picks I hated at the moment. We didn't realize just how horrible the Underwood pick was until training camp.

After trading the greatest receiver of his generation, was anybody not pissed we took Troy Williamson over Mike Williams? Turns out they were both bums and we traded away Moss for nothing

supafreak84 wrote:
After trading the greatest receiver of his generation, was anybody not pissed we took Troy Williamson over Mike Williams? Turns out they were both bums and we traded away Moss for nothing

Just the icing on the cake why I disliked McCombs so much as an owner.

My 3 happy draft times were: AP, Moss and JJM.

I really hope the 3rd guy pans out for us!!

Interesting none of us (yet) mentioned Jettas on draft day. I suspect none of us envisioned this kind of ceiling for him at the time.

1982 Marcus Allen is on the board and we pick Darrin Nelson. Darrin Nelson was good but Marcus Allen was great.

In my top 5 would be taking the yr we took Cadbury @ center (18 th pick, btw) with DK Metcalf and AJ Brown available.
We laid an Egg.

supafreak84 wrote:
After trading the greatest receiver of his generation, was anybody not pissed we took Troy Williamson over Mike Williams? Turns out they were both bums and we traded away Moss for nothing

As I sat watching that draft I got progressively more sick.  TWill was bad but Erasmus James was worse.  And mostly because I knew, KNEW like I could feel it in my bones, that Aaron Rodgers would end up in Green Bay.  

We should have drafted him to prevent that and help ourselves.  Rodgers falling was like when Moss fell, you need to take advantage of other team's mistakes.  Or we could have traded with someone to prevent it if we really didn't need a potential HOF QB because "Daunte".  But old Ricky was apparently clueless as usual.  Or maybe that was Fran Foley, can't recall.

Any time I say this people are like oh but we had Daunte.  Sorry but Daunte was not winning any titles ever imo.  If Green Bay could put Rodgers on the bench for three years to learn so could we.  Daunte ripped up his knee that season and we were back in QB hell while the Packers were on their way to continued dominance of the NFCN.  

I've watched this team do so much dumb stuff over the years it's a wonder they can compete at all.  The Wilfs have made a career out of looking up at the Packers most of the time.  These drafts since they hired KOC/KAM really take the cake.

comet52 wrote:

As I sat watching that draft I got progressively more sick.  TWill was bad but Erasmus James was worse.  And mostly because I knew, KNEW like I could feel it in my bones, that Aaron Rodgers would end up in Green Bay.  

We should have drafted him to prevent that and help ourselves.  Rodgers falling was like when Moss fell, you need to take advantage of other team's mistakes.  Or we could have traded with someone to prevent it if we really didn't need a potential HOF QB because "Daunte".  But old Ricky was apparently clueless as usual.  Or maybe that was Fran Foley, can't recall.

Any time I say this people are like oh but we had Daunte.  Sorry but Daunte was not winning any titles ever imo.  If Green Bay could put Rodgers on the bench for three years to learn so could we.  Daunte ripped up his knee that season and we were back in QB hell while the Packers were on their way to continued dominance of the NFCN.  

I've watched this team do so much dumb stuff over the years it's a wonder they can compete at all.  The Wilfs have made a career out of looking up at the Packers most of the time.  These drafts since they hired KOC/KAM really take the cake.

I disagree...Pepp was runner-up MVP in 2004 to Manning. He threw for 4700 (!) passing yards and 39 (!) TD's...Arrow was way-up on the guy  and nobody knew Rogers was going to be HOF or Pepp would tear-up a knee and re-hab at Walmart. 

I chalk it up to bad luck, but dont fault the decision making at the time.

purplefaithful wrote:

I disagree...Pepp was runner-up MVP in 2004 to Manning. He threw for 4700 (!) passing yards and 39 (!) TD's...Arrow was way-up on the guy  and nobody knew Rogers was going to be HOF or Pepp would tear-up a knee and re-hab at Walmart. 

I chalk it up to bad luck, but dont fault the decision making at the time.

LOL. Right? The inability of some to at least acknowledge the perfection of hindsight is astonishing to me. It would be like the Patriots passing on Ty Simpson in the draft next month, watching Drake Maye suffer a career-ender, then bitching about the fact that the Patriots didn’t have the foresight to take Ty Simpson when they had the chance. It’s fun to bitch and all, but at least be a LITTLE honest about it.

purplefaithful wrote:

I disagree...Pepp was runner-up MVP in 2004 to Manning. He threw for 4700 (!) passing yards and 39 (!) TD's...Arrow was way-up on the guy  and nobody knew Rogers was going to be HOF or Pepp would tear-up a knee and re-hab at Walmart. 

I chalk it up to bad luck, but dont fault the decision making at the time.

Daunte Culpepper's place on QB list will remind Vikings fans of what might've been
Story by Brad Berreman • 31m •
4 min read

Once upon a time, the Minnesota Vikings had a first-round pick quarterback who did not start a game during his rookie season before being anointed the starter heading into his second year.

Before you say, "That just happened with J.J. McCarthy," long-time Vikings fans remember Daunte Culpepper well. He first landed on this writer's radar during his final collegiate season at Central Florida, when the Golden Knights took on Drew Brees and Purdue in September of 1998.

I have never seen a quarterback play so well, and have his team lose as Culpepper's team did. A box score review shows he went 30-for-47 for 368 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Memory says he had more than seven rushing yards in the game, but college football deducts sack yardage from a quarterback's rushing yardage.

UCF outgained Purdue that day, but three turnovers (including a pick-six by the Boilermakers) led to a 35-7 loss. In hindsight, with incomplete data, Culppepper likely accounted for at least one of the Knights' three fumbles (two lost).

After essentially redshirting as a rookie in 1999, Culpepper hit the ground running in his first season as the Vikings' starter, tying for the league lead with 33 touchdown passes while running for 470 yards and seven more scores.

The following two seasons weren't nearly as good, before a better campaign in 2003. Then in 2004, Culpepper led the NFL in passing yards (4,717) while finishing second in the league with 39 touchdown passes. A better season for the Vikings might have garnered him a significant chunk of MVP votes.

The Vikings started the 2005 season 2-4, heading into a trip to take on the Carolina Panthers the day before Halloween. The details of an off-the-field incident during the bye week a few weeks prior had begun to surface. They hung over that game (complete with Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith pretending to row a boat during a touchdown celebration).

Culpepper also suffered a major injury during that game, tearing the ACL, MCL and PCL in his right knee. He never played another game for the Vikings, and at 28 years old, his career was never the same.

The sustainability of Culpepper's skills as a quarterback could be (rightly) questioned at times, and he was fumble-prone. But the idea that the Vikings had their starter under center for at least a few more years crumbled along with his knee that day in Charlotte.

A recent Daunte Culpepper acknowledgement is a harsh reminder for Minnesota Vikings' fans about what could have been.

"Some talk about Daunte Culpepper as a great career that fell off due to injury, and that’s true, but there are multiple reasons why Culpepper isn’t considered one of the best of his era. Despite making three Pro Bowls and finishing second one season for Offensive Player of the Year, we don’t hear Culpepper’s name too often anymore. In 2004, Culpepper had a league-leading 4,717 yards and 39 touchdowns."

"Unfortunately, Culpepper will always be known as the player the Miami Dolphins chose over Drew Brees. While Brees went and won a Super Bowl in New Orleans, breaking records for them over more than a decade, Culpepper lasted just one season with the Dolphins, playing just four games after they traded a second-round pick for him that offseason."

"Culpepper played for the Raiders and Lions to finish out his career, but those seasons with the Vikings deserve praise. His 2004 season ranks among the 50 best quarterback seasons in NFL history. Only 23 times has a quarterback thrown more than Culpepper’s 39 that season, and most of those names start with Tom or Peyton. His peak was as good as any quarterback of that decade. And that’s a darn good decade of football from the position."

Even without his career-altering knee injury, how much longer Culpepper would have been the Vikings' starting quarterback is an unanswerable question. Brad Childress came in as head coach in 2006, and he may have been inclined to move on even if Culpepper was healthy.

McCarthy, being the Vikings' highest-drafted quarterback since Culpepper, says it all about where the franchise has been situated. Never bad enough to get the highest possible draft pick and get a top-tier quarterback prospect, yet never good enough to do anything other than pop up with a conference title game appearance every 10 years or so.

Culpepper's five-plus seasons as the Vikings' starting quarterback will be remembered for ups and downs. But the peak of his run is up there with as good as it gets for any Minnesota signal caller since Fran Tarkenton retired after the 1978 season.

This article was originally published on thevikingage.com as Daunte Culpepper's place on QB list will remind Vikings fans of what might've been.

What did McCombs due in March 2005? Right after Culpepper tore up the league with those 39 tds in 2004?

Traded Randy Moss

purplefaithful wrote:

I disagree...Pepp was runner-up MVP in 2004 to Manning. He threw for 4700 (!) passing yards and 39 (!) TD's...Arrow was way-up on the guy  and nobody knew Rogers was going to be HOF or Pepp would tear-up a knee and re-hab at Walmart. 

My instincts which I trust, told me Rodgers was going to Green Bay.  Correct.
Told me he would be a HOFer.  Correct.
Told me Daunte wasn't it.  Was that because I foresaw an injury?  No.  It was because I'd seen that he put up good numbers but imo didn't really have that what it was going to take to win a title.  I guess you can say we'll never know since the injury occurred.   Kirk Cousins put up numbers too but he never won anything and he won't be in the HOF.  Unless there's a HOF for getting paid lol.

So I don't care about guys wanting to go "oh hindsight blah blah blah".  I had that experience that day and it made me sick.  I saw it all coming.  And the next 20 years played out pretty much as they did.  Rodgers won a title in Green Bay, mostly finished ahead of the Vikings in the standings, and had a HOF career. 

Honestly I'm still slightly sick about that draft.  Just like the Derrick Alexander over Warren Sapp deal.  Sick.  I was sick that day and stayed that way for a long time.

I'm with yah on DA over Sapp...I think the Vikings learned their lesson on that one and it gave them conviction to go with Moss years later.

Nelson over Allen is another one that sticks in my craw.