Five mid-to-late-round gems by Vikings GM Rick Spielman

Rick Spielman is known for coveting first-round picks, but the Vikings also have found some later-round gems during his decade working on the draft (2007-11 as vice president of player personnel and 2012-present as general manager). Here are five examples that he'll be hoping to duplicate this weekend when the Vikings don't have a first-round pick:

Brian Robison (fourth round, 2007)

It's been a nice run for Robison, who became a full-time starter in 2011 and has since started 95 of 96 regular-season games on the defensive line. He has 56 career sacks and 13 career forced fumbles.

John Sullivan (sixth round, 2008)

He was the Vikings' center between 2009 and 2014, starting 93 of a possible 96 regular-season games in that span. It's no coincidence that the Vikings' offensive line began to fall apart when Sullivan's health started to fail him.

Everson Griffen (fourth round, 2010)

Griffen has 30 ½ combined sacks over the past three seasons playing for Mike Zimmer and has been named to the Pro Bowl each of the past two years. Last season, he had two forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries as well.

Danielle Hunter (third round, 2015)

Hunter has a chance to be an elite player, and he's already a steal after being taken in the third round two years ago. Even though he wasn't a starter in 2016, he registered a team-high 12 ½ sacks while also scoring a touchdown and a safety.

Stefon Diggs (fifth round, 2015)

Diggs cooled off as the Vikings did in 2016, but the second-year wide receiver still finished the season with 84 catches and continued to emerge as a legitimate offensive threat.

MICHAEL RAND