2014 NFL Draft: Minnesota Vikings No Longer In Play For Top Pick

The Minnesota Vikings have never been bad enough on the field to receive the top overall pick in the National Football League draft. Thanks to their 48-30 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles yesterday, they won't achieve that in 2013, either.

Minnesota's victory yesterday moved their record to 4-9-1. The Houston Texans, who currently sit in position to have the #1 overall pick, lost their twelfth straight game on Sunday to fall to 2-12. That means that, even if the Texans win their final two games (not likely, considering that they have the Denver Broncos on tap this weekend) and the Vikings lose their games against the Cincinnati Bengals and the Detroit Lions, they still would not be able to leapfrog the Texans for the top overall pick. Such a scenario would have the Texans at 4-12 and the Vikings at 4-11-1, meaning the Texans would still be ahead of the Vikings.

Minnesota has only had the first selection in the draft twice in their history. The first time was in 1961, before they had ever actually taken the field. The second time was in 1967, and that pick came to Minnesota as a result of the trade that sent quarterback Fran Tarkenton to the New York Giants.

Thanks to the Vikings' victory yesterday, they will not be selecting #1 overall in 2014. . .unless, of course, they trade up to that spot, which doesn't seem terribly likely, either.