WHAT happens when the NFL Draft clock runs out and a team hasn’t gotten their pick in?
Just ask the Minnesota Vikings, who suffered that fate in one of the biggest mistakes in history.
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Back in 2003, the NFC North side were coming off a 6-10 record in the 2022 season.
They had a three-game winning streak ending the campaign, and optimism was high.
The Vikings had the seventh overall pick in the first-round of that NFL Draft.
The team needed to improve in a lot of positions, and the selection was a key one.
The Purple and Gold were focused on improving their defence.
The Vikings went on the clock, with 15 minutes to make their pick.
The timer ticked all the way down, with many believing that meant a trade as in the works.
As it struck zero, Commissioner Paul Tagliabue approached the podium.
He then went on to make a surprise announcement to viewers at home.
“With the seventh pick in the 2003 NFL Draft, the Jacksonville Jaguars select Byron Leftwich, quarterback, Marshall,” he said.
That left fans stunned, with the Vikings due to pick at number seven.
Tagliabue then approached the podium again as the dust settled.
“With the eighth pick in the 2003 NFL Draft, the Carolina Panthers select Jordan Gross, offensive tackle, Utah,” he said.
That sent the NFL world wild, with ESPN baffled by what they were watching.
Nobody knew what was going on, with no indication to viewers, fans and the media alike.
“With the ninth pick in the 2003 NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings select Kevin Williams, defensive tackle, Oklahoma State,” Tagliabue finally said.
Now, more than two decades on, and as we get to the 2025 NFL Draft, the story of what happened has been revealed.
The Vikings missed out on the seventh pick because they were working on the phones.
They were talking to the Jaguars and the Baltimore Ravens.
They had a deal in place to trade with the Ravens for the 10th pick, a fourth-round selection, and a sixth-round selection.
But the league never sanctioned the deal, with the Vikings not being able to get hold of the NFL on the phone.
It is understood that they had completed their end of the deal, but the Ravens did not on their side.
That meant two teams passed them on the process in one of the most bizarre scenes in NFL Draft history.