A Look Back at the Minnesota Vikings 2017 NFL Draft Class

One year ago the Minnesota Vikings were able to find two offensive starters and a defensive starter in the NFL Draft.

Minnesota was without a first round pick due to the Sam Bradford trade with Philadelphia, but that didn't stop the Vikings from finding some key players. The Vikings opened the early parts of the second round by drafting running back Dalvin Cook. Cook started the first four games for the Vikings and ran for 354 yards and two touchdowns before an ACL injury sidelined him for the rest of the season.

Pat Elflein was selected in the third round and started 14 games for Minnesota. Elflein anchored the much improved offensive line and earned honors from the Pro Football Writers Association. He missed two regular season games due to a shoulder injury.

Two Big Ten defensive players were selected by Rick Spielman in the 4th round. Jaleel Johnson (DE) out of Iowa went on to make a single tackle in five total appearances. Michigan linebacker Ben Gedeon (LB) played in all 16 games for Minnesota and started nine of them including the season opener. Gedeon finished with 37 tackles.

Spielman had another two picks to work with in the fifth round selecting wide receiver Rodney Adams and offensive guard Danny Isidora. Adams was waived by the Vikings and placed on the practice squad before being signed this past February by Indianapolis. The Colts released Adams on April 9th making him a free agent. Isidora had better luck with the Vikings that included seven game appearances and one start this past season.

Bucky Hodges (TE) was selected in the 6th round by the Vikings but never made it to the regular season. He was released before the start of the year, picked up and released by Carolina, and has recently found his home with the New York Jets on April 3rd.

The 7th round of the NFL Draft for Minnesota featured four picks. Three of those four picks are still currently with the team or on the practice squad. Stacy Conley (WR) appeared in four games for Minnesota and had one kick return for 19 yards.

Ifeadi Odenigbo (DE) and Jack Tocho (DB) were both placed on the practice squad with future reserved contracts. Linebacker Elijah Lee was waived and also signed to the practice squad, but was picked up by Kansas City before the regular season started. He appeared in 14 games for Kansas City and had four tackles with a forced fumble.