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NFL
Vikings sign UDFA from the NFL Draft with Hall of Fame-worthy name
TL;DR
The Minnesota Vikings have signed an undrafted free agent from the NFL Draft, noted for having a Hall of Fame-worthy name. This signing recalls the team's infamous 1982 draft miss with running back Darrin Nelson.
Key points
- Vikings signed an undrafted free agent from the NFL Draft
- Darrin Nelson was a draft miss in 1982
- Marcus Allen was selected shortly after Nelson
- Nelson had 4,231 rushing yards in his career
- Nelson's dropped pass in the 1987 NFC Championship Game is infamous
Mentioned in this story
Darrin NelsonMarcus Allen
Minnesota VikingsLas Vegas Raiders
One of the more infamous draft misses in Minnesota Vikings history took place in 1982. Needing a running back, they selected Stanford running back Darrin Nelson. Three picks later, the Raiders took USC running back Marcus Allen.
Nelson rushed for 4,231 yards and 18 touchdowns in his 10-year Vikings career, adding 286 catches for 2,205 receiving yards and five touchdowns.
Ask any fan from the 80s about Nelson, and they'll likely bring up his dropped pass at the goal line on fourth down late against Washington in the 1987 NFC Championship Game. The drop ended the Vikings' hopes of tying the game, and they would lose 17-10.
Allen, meanwhile, ran for 12,243 yards and 123 touchdowns, adding 587 catches for 5,411 yards and 21 touchdowns through the air. He won the league MVP in 1985 and was named Super Bowl XVIII MVP following the 1983 season.
This painful memory resurfaces because the Vikings signed undrafted rookie free agent cornerback Marcus Allen on Saturday. Allen played 51 games for North Carolina from 2022 through 2025, intercepting three passes. He has good size at 6'2", 190 pounds, and was ranked 340 on the Wide Left Consensus Big Board.
Cornerback is still a fairly thin position for the Vikings, and Allen could be a darkhorse candidate to make the active roster with a strong offseason.
This article originally appeared on Vikings Wire: Vikings sign North Carolina DB Marcus Allen with Hall of Fame name
Q&A
Who did the Minnesota Vikings sign as an undrafted free agent?
The Minnesota Vikings signed an undrafted free agent from the NFL Draft, although the specific player's name is not mentioned in the excerpt.
What was the infamous draft miss by the Vikings in 1982?
In 1982, the Vikings selected running back Darrin Nelson, who was picked before Marcus Allen, who went on to have a Hall of Fame career.
What were Darrin Nelson's career stats with the Vikings?
Darrin Nelson rushed for 4,231 yards and 18 touchdowns, along with 286 catches for 2,205 receiving yards and five touchdowns during his 10-year career with the Vikings.