Rick Spielman loves collecting draft picks

It shouldn’t surprise anyone that Rick Spielman and the Minnesota Vikings are near the top of the list when it comes to the number of players drafted over the past five years. The Vikings have drafted 47 players in the 2012-2016 drafts. Only the Cleveland Browns (48), Seattle Seahawks (48), and San Francisco 49ers (51) have had more draft picks over that span.

Thanks to Rich Hribar of RotoWorld, we now have a nice visualization of exactly how those 47 draft picks break down by position:

Defense has been a priority since Mike Zimmer arrived in 2014, and that is reflected in how Minnesota has drafted. The Vikings have drafted more defensive players (26) than any other NFL team since 2012. Only the Cowboys have drafted as many linebackers (9) and only the 49ers have drafted more cornerbacks than the Vikings.

The Vikings have drafted eight OL players over the past five years, tied for 5th most in the league. Of course, much to the lament of many Vikings fans over the past several months, almost all of them were mid- or late-round picks.

As it stands right now, the Vikings have 8 picks for the 2017 NFL Draft, held in Philadelphia from April 27-29. With no first round pick this year and Spielman’s reputation for draft day deals, that number could easily change by the time Mr. Irrelevant is picked in late April.