Yes, it’s been 10 years
Around the SB Nation NFL universe, various websites are looking back at some of the trades their teams have made that helped them acquire star players via the NFL Draft. Even though he no longer plays for our Minnesota Vikings, we’re taking a look back at how the purple came to acquire Danielle Hunter, who was a star for the Minnesota defense for a very long time.
For this, we have to go back to the 2015 NFL Draft, a class that saw the Vikings acquire Trae Waynes, Eric Kendricks, and Stefon Diggs in addition to Hunter. The Vikings were set to draft at #76 overall in the third round, but wound up accepting a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs to trade down to #80, acquiring pick #193 in the process.
Kansas City then used pick #76 to select Georgia wide receiver Chris Conley. Conley is still hanging around the league, having played the past two seasons for San Francisco while also making stops in Jacksonville, Houston, and Tennessee. He has topped 500 receiving yards in a season twice in his career.
When the Vikings got on the clock again at #80, Rick Spielman pulled the trigger on another trade, this time with the Detroit Lions. Pick #80 went to Detroit, while picks #88 and #143 came back to Minnesota.
The Lions used pick #80 on Stanford cornerback Alex Carter. Carter lasted just two seasons in Detroit and bounced around to five other teams before dropping out of the league after the 2019 season.
Minnesota then finally made their selection at #88 and took Hunter from Louisiana State. Hunter was a member of the All-Rookie Team in 2015 and wound up garnering four Pro Bowl berths during his time in Minnesota (2018, 2019, 2022, 2023). In his nine seasons with the Vikings, one of which he missed completely due to a herniated disc in his neck, he collected 87.5 quarterback sacks, including a career-high 16.5 in his final season with the Vikings in 2023.
So, who did the Vikings draft with the extra picks they acquired? With pick #143, the one they received from Detroit, they selected Southern Illinois tight end MyCole Pruitt. Pruitt never really made an impact in Minnesota, being waived by the team after two seasons. However, he’s still in the league, having made stops in seven different cities over the course of his career, most recently with Pittsburgh.
With pick #193 from Kansas City, the Vikings selected Louisville defensive end B.J. Dubose. Dubose never played a game for the Vikings. He was waived following training camp in 2015 and spent the season on the practice squad, and followed that up with a torn ACL during Organized Team Activities ahead of the 2016 season. The Vikings waived Dubose in May of 2017 and he did not sign with another team.
To summarize the Vikings’ moves that allowed them to draft Danielle Hunter:
- Kansas City Chiefs receive: Pick #76 (Georgia WR Chris Conley)
- Detroit Lions receive: Pick #80 (Stanford CB Alex Carter)
- Minnesota Vikings receive: Pick #88 (LSU DE Danielle Hunter), Pick #143 (Southern Illinois TE MyCole Pruitt), Pick #193 (Louisville DE B.J. Dubose)
Only one of the five players involved in those transactions had any real impact on their teams, but it certainly was a significant impact in the case of Hunter.
