Kevin Williams knew little about Minnesota or the Vikings when the team selected him in the first round of the 2003 draft. He arrived at the team's old facility in Eden Prairie and met with equipment manager Dennis Ryan, who told the defensive tackle the numbers that were available to him.
Williams selected No. 93; it wasn't until after that he learned about the Hall of Famer who'd previously worn the number.
"Once I got here and realized I picked [John Randle's number], I was like, 'You know you can't be a bust, right? You can't be sorry.' " Williams said, in the self-effacing manner that marked most of his dealings with reporters during his career. "That's the kind of pressure I put on myself. I never told anybody until today, this little inner thing I had with myself about picking 93 and learning the history of the Vikings and how rich it is at defensive line."
He ended his career with the same number of All-Pro selections as Randle. And this fall, Williams will join the Vikings' lineage of defensive tackles in the team's Ring of Honor.
Williams, who earned five All-Pro honors and six Pro Bowl selections during his 11 seasons with the Vikings, will be the 26th person added to the Vikings' Ring of Honor. He learned of the honor during his first trip to the Vikings' new headquarters in Eagan on Tuesday, when he thought the team had invited him to Minnesota to record some promotional materials.
"We go into one of the meeting rooms, and here's all the executives and owners sitting here," Williams said. "I'm like, 'What's going on here?' I'm still kind of in a fairytale now, man. I can't believe it. I'm still shocked."
He finished his career with the Seahawks and Saints after the Vikings decided not to bring him back after the 2013 season. Williams said he's lost about 30 pounds since his playing days, and is enjoying his life coaching his kids' sports teams.
"Seeing those [video] intros and all that [the Vikings put together], I'm like, 'If they give me an intro like that, I could probably play 10 or 12 plays,' " he quipped.
'He's done a great job this spring'
After the Vikings signed eight-time Pro Bowler Patrick Peterson to a one-year deal this spring, coach Mike Zimmer sat down with the cornerback to see how receptive the veteran would be to learning new techniques with the Vikings.
"A lot of these guys that are eight-year Pro-bowl players and things like that, they really don't want to be coached," Zimmer said. "One of the things I did, called him in and asked him, 'Tell me about you. What do you like to do? How do you like to do it? Do you want to be coached? I think I can help you in these areas.' He was like 'Coach, I want to be coached. I want to get back playing really good.' He's done a great job this spring. ... Just really trying to give him more tools in the toolbox and get him to understand the concepts and where we can help him as well."
Kendricks stands out
During the Vikings' first two organized team activities open to reporters this spring, linebacker Eric Kendricks did some rehab work and watched practice from the sideline, but during the second day of the team's mandatory minicamp on Wednesday, he delivered a reminder of what's made him so valuable.
Kendricks had one of the practice's biggest plays when he intercepted a throw by Kirk Cousins over the middle of the field, returning it down the sideline for a big gain. He alos broke up a pass by Kellen Mond in a 7-on-7 drill, and squeezed tight end Tyler Conklin along the back line of the end zone in a goal-line drill, forcing an incompletion.
"It's been great," Kendricks said after practice. "A lot of smiles, a lot of young guys who are funny, think they know everything from college, but it's pretty cool, it's pretty fun, just getting out there with the guys running around a bit, talking, communicating, but just the locker room talk is always great."