Minnesota Vikings: Why the Vikings' Rebuild Was Three Years Too Late

The simplest answer to the headline's supposition is one name: Brett Favre.

The 2009 Minnesota Vikings were the perfect storm of a roster on the cusp of being great and one of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game having perhaps his finest season as a pro. Favre played nearly perfect football the entire season and stayed away from the bugaboo that had often marked his career—badly timed interceptions. 

Not to open old wounds for Vikings fans, but that bugaboo appeared at the worst of times, when the Vikings were close to setting up for a game-winning field goal against the New Orleans Saints, Favre threw across his body, was intercepted and Minnesota lost 31-28 in overtime.

It's silly to say that one game changed the fortunes of the two franchises, but since that day, the Saints have won a Super Bowl and have gone 23-8 since then, while the Vikings have gone 9-22.

The truth is that Favre was a giant band-aid to a roster that was on the fringe of going either way, forwards or backwards.

Favre's spectacular season covered up some flaws that went unseen that season, predominantly a lack of depth brought on by years of poor drafting. Favre's mastery also brought out career years from Sidney Rice and Visanthe Shiancoe, who both proved to be not quite as good when not catching balls from Favre at the top of his game.

Looking back at how the current Vikings roster was formed, it's proved time and time again that the Vikings just haven't drafted well, and the disastrous 2011 season can be traced back over the course of poor drafting and player personnel decisions that haven't stocked the roster with much talent.

As stated earlier, the Saints have gone 23-8 in the last two seasons, which is only good for the second best record in that time, with the Vikings main rival, the Green Bay Packers, having the best mark at 24-7. 

Comparing how the three teams current rosters were put together, and it's no surprise why the Vikings are now in a state of complete rebuilding, while the Saints and Packers continue to be dominant.

Drafting in the NFL is obviously an inexact science, and while the Vikings have had their share of home run picks (Adrian Peterson and Percy Harvin in the first round, John Sullivan in the sixth round), they have missed with picks way too often and rarely find late-round gems or undrafted free agents who supply depth to rosters of well-built teams.

The 2005 draft remains the worst in Vikings history and continues to haunt the club to this day. Minnesota had the seventh and 18th picks in the first round and basically came away with nothing (Troy Williamson and Erasmus James.)

Six of the eight picks after Williamson have played in Pro Bowls. The Packers got Aaron Rodgers six picks after James. In the second round of that same draft, Minnesota took guard Marcus Johnson. Four of the next 14 picks have played in Pro Bowls, including another Packer, safety Nick Collins.

The Packers similarly had two first-round picks in 2009, getting the ninth and 26th selections in the first round, who they turned into B.J. Raji and Clay Matthews. The Saints had two first-round picks last year at 24 and 28 and landed huge contributors in Cameron Jordan and Mark Ingram.

The Vikings offensive line is currently an absolute disaster, and one only need to again look at the Saints and the Packers to see how to put together solid lines.

New Orleans currently starts undrafted free agent Brian De La Puerte at center, fourth-rounder Jahri Evans and fifth-rounder Carl Nicks at guard and fourth-rounder Jermon Brushrod and seventh-rounder Zach Strief at tackle. They are joined on the offense by seventh-round pick Marques Colston and undrafted free-agents Pierre Thomas and Chris Ivory. 

Not a high draft pick in the bunch.

Meanwhile, the Packers have used two first rounders on offensive lineman Bryan Bulaga and Derek Sherrod, who both have been hurt but also both look to be solid starters. Their center is seventh-round pick Scott Wells, who they took all the way back in 2004.

They are joined on the starting line by a pair of fourth round picks, T.J. Lang and Josh Sitton. The Packers also feature second-round picks Greg Jennings, Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb and third-rounders James Jones and Jermichael Finley. Contributions are also made by fifth and sixth-rounders Marshall Newhouse and James Starks, along with undrafted free-agent John Kuhn.

The Vikings, on the other hand, have come up with very few draft steals and the list of usable players taken after Vikings busts continues to grow. 

A few examples: in 2010 the Vikings took guard Chris DeGeare with the 161st pick and home-grown linebacker Nate Triplett with pick No. 167. With pick No.  195, the Steelers plucked receiver Antonio Brown, who's headed to the Pro Bowl at a position the Vikings are starving at. 

In 2010, the Vikings tabbed the troubled Chris Cook at No. 34, while position changing tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Jimmy Graham went 42nd and 95th respectively.

In 2009, Minnesota took corner Asher Allen in the third round, with pick No. 86. While Allen has never found traction as a starter, six other corners taken after him are starters, including Ladarius Webb, one of the league's best cover men, taken just two picks after Allen.

In 2006, the Vikings had two second-round picks, at 48 and 51. They took Cedric Griffin and Ryan Cook. Pro Bowl guard Marcus McNeill went at 50 and Pro Bowl receiver Greg Jennings went at No. 52;. Pro Bowler Devin Hester went at No. 57.

Missing picks in the draft is understandable, (obviously if 41 players can be picked before Gronkowski), the problem in Minnesota is that they miss far too often, and they never seem to be able to find usable players off the free agent scrap pile.

The rebuild is at hand in Minnesota. Step one will be to hire a general manager and get better at drafting and finding free agents and waiver-wire players who can help the team get better. They need to look no further than Green Bay and New Orleans for the blueprint.