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Following their 44-31 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night at the Metrodome, the Minnesota Vikings have moved up in the race for the top overall selection in the 2014 NFL Draft.
The Vikings are now the lone one-win team in the NFL, and as such would pick in the #3 spot if the annual selection meeting were held today. They sit behind only the league's two remaining winless teams, the Jacksonville Jaguars (who currently occupy the top spot on the list) and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who currently reside at #2 overall.
Minnesota has had the top overall pick in the draft twice over the course of their existence, but they've never actually "earned" it based on their play on the field. The first time they had the top selection came in the 1961 draft, which happened before they even played a game. The team selected Tulane running back Tommy Mason with that pick, the first in franchise history. The other time they had the top overall pick came in 1968 with a pick they received from the New York Giants as a part of the Fran Tarkenton trade. (In doing research, I'm seeing that was something called a "bonus pick" that allowed the Giants to move from #15 to #1. Still trying to learn more about that.) That pick turned into offensive tackle Ron Yary, who is a member of the NFL Hall of Fame.
Given just how bad the Jaguars, Buccaneers, and Vikings have been to this point in the season, it should be an interesting "race". . .if you can call it that. . .for the top overall selection in 2014. With the way things have gone thus far, it's pretty tough to imagine another team jumping into the fray. Our favorite football team almost certainly appears destined for a top five selection in 2014, and there are plenty of changes on the horizon for this squad from top to bottom. And, due largely to our masochistic tendencies, we'll be here to cover all of those changes and everything else for you.