After being unceremoniously passed over several times, a Minnesota Vikings great who has never really gotten the recognition he should since he left the game has finally gotten a small measure of it.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame has released its list of 26 semifinalists for the 2026 Hall of Fame Class, and former Vikings defensive lineman Kevin Williams has made the cut for the first time. Williams last played in the NFL in 2015 and has been passed over several times, but has now finally made it through the first step towards potential enshrinement in Canton.
Williams was the seventh. . .er, eighth. . .er, ninth overall pick in the 2003 NFL Draft by the Vikings, the draft where they famously “missed” their pick when they were on the clock at #7 overall. More accurately, as Kevin Seifert detailed in a story for the 20th anniversary of the event, they had a trade in place with the Baltimore Ravens and the Ravens didn’t call in their end of the deal, but you never hear that part of the story.
Despite a slightly ignominious start, Williams had a fantastic career with the Vikings over his eleven years in purple. During his time with the team, he garnered five First-Team All-Pro nods and was voted to six Pro Bowls, including five in a row from 2006 to 2010. He was also a member of the NFL’s All-Decade team for the 2000s and was inducted into the team’s Ring of Honor in 2021. He had 60 sacks during his career, along with five interceptions and four defensive touchdowns, tied with Dallas Cowboys’ great Bob Lilly for the most all time by a defensive tackle.
I’ve said it before in this space, and I’ll say it again. If the Vikings could “screw up” every draft pick they way they allegedly “screwed up” the Kevin Williams pick, I’d be perfectly okay with that.
Williams left the Vikings following the 2013 season and went on to play two more years in the NFL, spending 2014 with the Seattle Seahawks and playing his final season for the New Orleans Saints in 2015.
The next step in the process will be cutting this list of 26 modern-day players down to 15 “late this year,” according to the Pro Football Hall of Fame website. The Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026 will be announced, in full, leading up the the Super Bowl this February.
Congratulations to Kevin Williams on, finally, making it to the list of semifinalists for the Pro Football hall of Fame Class of 2026. Here’s hoping that, now that he’s made the first step, he can continue moving forward.
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