Vikings lose Adrian Peterson in PFF's 2007 NFL re-draft
Vikings lose Adrian Peterson in PFF's 2007 NFL re-draft
In 2007, the Minnesota Vikings struck gold by drafting Adrian Peterson with the seventh overall pick. After trading Randy Moss to the Oakland Raiders, the team suffered an identity crisis for two years. The Vikings didn't need a running back, as Chester Taylor had just run for 1,216 yards. However, head coach Brad Childress believed Peterson was too good a talent to pass up.
"All Day" was a difference-maker, rushing for 1,341 yards as a rookie. He accounted for 361 all-purpose yards at Soldier Field, the third-highest mark in league history. Less than a month later, he set the NFL record with 296 rushing yards against the San Diego Chargers, which still stands today.
The Vikings were thrilled to land the future Hall of Famer, but even though they'd select him again, would he have lasted to the seventh pick if the NFL redrafted?
PFF did their own 2007 re-draft. The Vikings couldn't snatch Peterson in this exercise, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers did what everyone thought they would do back then and took AP. So with the seventh pick, the Vikings took Utah safety Eric Weddle.
Without Peterson on the board, the Vikings could draft another perennial Pro Bowl running back in Marshawn Lynch. However, Minnesota instead adds to a safety unit in need of talented youth.
Weddle finished his career as the most valuable player from the 2007 draft class, according to PFF's Wins Above Replacement metric, and his 94.7 career PFF overall grade is the top mark among safeties since PFF began grading in 2006.
It feels like a letdown landing Weddle. Other Hall of Famers in the 2007 draft include Calvin Johnson, Joe Thomas, Darrelle Revis, and Patrick Willis. But they're already off the board by the time the Vikings are on the clock here.
Weddle would have been a great selection, though. The Vikings were set at safety in 2007 with Darren Sharper and Dwight Smith, but both were gone by 2009. Minnesota signed Madieu Williams and drafted Tyrell Johnson in 2008, but neither materialized into a reliable starter. By 2011, the Vikings had one of the worst safety units in the league.
In San Diego, Weddle played nine seasons and was selected First-Team All-Pro twice and Second-Team All-Pro two more times. He finished his career with 29 interceptions and 9.5 sacks before retiring after the 2021 season, winning the Super Bowl with the Los Angeles Rams and offensive coordinator Kevin O'Connell.
This is a fun redraft where the Vikings only downgrade because their real selection was so good that they couldn't fall to them again. Let's hope this continues in the coming years for the Vikings.
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