5 best first-round draft picks in Minnesota Vikings’ history feat. Justin Jefferson

The Minnesota Vikings' record with first-round NFL draft selections has seen both highs and lows. Nonetheless, the team's abundance of excellent first-round selections helps make up for its less impressive selections.

The Vikings have maintained how well they do in the first round of the NFL draft, even in recent times, by selecting players who will eventually be considered for the Hall of Fame, like Adrian Peterson and Justin Jefferson.

This article will analyze the top players the Vikings have selected in the first round of the NFL draft.

Ranking the Minnesota Vikings’ best first-round picks in history

#5 - Justin Jefferson (wide receiver) - No. 22 overall pick, 2020

Justin Jefferson has continuously produced well throughout his five NFL seasons, leading the Minnesota Vikings to two postseason berths.

Not many people understand the significance of Jefferson's early career achievements: he had three 1,500-yard seasons before the age of 26, making him the only player in NFL history to do it.

Despite playing just nine games in 2023, Jefferson has five seasons in a row with at least 1,000 yards.

Jefferson signed a four-year, $140 million contract extension with the Vikings last year, making him the highest-paid non-quarterback in the league at the time. The team's confidence in him was rewarded in 2024 when he caught 103 passes for 1,533 yards and 10 touchdowns, earning him another All-Pro season.

After five seasons in the league, his career achievements include four Pro Bowls, two First-team All-Pros, two Second-team All-Pro nods, one NFL receiving yards leader and NFL Offensive Player of the Year in 2022.

#4 - Adrian Peterson (running back) - No. 7 overall, 2007

Adrian Peterson had a stellar career in Minnesota after being selected seventh overall by the Vikings in 2007, producing at an exceptionally high level for 10 years.

Peterson won NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in the 2007 season after setting an NFL record for the most running yards in a single game as a rookie.

Peterson amassed 2,097 yards and won NFL MVP in his best season with the Vikings in 2012. He was also named the NFL Offensive Player of the Year that season.

Peterson was selected to seven Pro Bowls and seven more All-Pro teams with the Vikings. He leads the team in all-time rushing yards with 11,747. He also had 97 running touchdowns, which is another franchise record.

#3 - Randy Moss (wide receiver) - No. 21 overall, 1998

Without a doubt, Randy Moss is one of the best wide receivers to play in the NFL. He spent eight years over two stints with the Vikings, and that was enough for him to climb to second place in franchise history with 587 receptions, 9,316 yards and 92 touchdown catches.

Moss won NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 1998 after setting a single-season milestone for receiving touchdowns in a rookie season. That was only a sign of what was to come in a Hall of Fame career that saw the wide receiver finish second in league history in receiving touchdowns.

Moss is a member of the NFL 2000s All-Decade Team and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2018.

#2 - Randall McDaniel (guard) - No. 19 overall, 1988

Given that he is a Hall of Famer and was selected to more Pro Bowls and First-Team All-Pros than any other player to have ever played for the Minnesota Vikings, Randall McDaniel is in the discussion for the team's greatest first-round draft selection.

Eleven of the 12 straight Pro Bowls that McDaniel earned during his career were with the Vikings. In addition, he was selected as a member of the NFL 1990s All-Decade Team and was chosen to the First-Team All-Pro an astounding seven times during his career.

McDaniel was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2009 after being honored into the Vikings Ring of Honor in 2006.

#1 - Alan Page (defensive tackle) - No. 15 overall, 1967

Throughout his 16 seasons in the NFL, Alan Page routinely thwarted offensive lines, making him the most dominant of the Minnesota Vikings' amazing first-round pick selections.

Page, who won the 1971 NFL MVP award, is one of only two defensive players in league history to win the coveted award. He helped the Vikings reach four Super Bowls and was named to the 1970s All-Decade Team. In 1988, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame after an NFL career that saw him selected to the First-Team All-Pro five times.

Prior to being traded to the Chicago Bears in the 1978 season, Page had 1,118 tackles and 108.0 sacks during his tenure in Minnesota.