When Marcus Johnson signed with the Oakland Raiders this month, it created barely a ripple on the NFL transaction wire.

But there was a definite thud at Winter Park.

The offensive lineman was the last remaining member of the Vikings' 2005 draft class. Seven players were taken by the Vikings that spring, and four years later, as the team prepares for another draft, none remain.

"Obviously it hurts your franchise," said NFL Network analyst Charley Casserly, who oversaw 15 drafts during his time as an executive with the Washington Redskins and Houston Texans. "But sometimes you do have a year where it doesn't work out for you. ... Sometimes there are bad draft years."

That 2005 draft was a colossal bust for most in the NFC North. There were a combined 30 players taken by the Vikings, Bears, Lions and Packers. Only three remain on the roster of the team that originally selected them; all three — quarterback Aaron Rodgers (first round), safety Nick Collins (second) and linebacker Brady Poppinga (fourth) — were taken by Green Bay.

First-round flops included Texas running back Cedric Benson (taken fourth overall by Chicago) and Southern California receiver Mike Williams (10th by the Lions). Yet, the Vikings' first-round misses might hurt just a little bit more. They had two picks in the top 20, including the seventh overall selection that was the marquee piece to the trade that sent receiver Randy Moss to Oakland.

Although many wanted the Vikings to take Williams, the selection was used on South Carolina wide receiver Troy Williamson. Wisconsin defensive end Erasmus James, whom the Vikings thought would provide the type of pass-rushing presence they lacked from the right end, was taken 18th.

For different reasons, both flopped and exited Minnesota following the 2007 season. Williamson's main issue was that he never mastered the art of holding onto the football. James' problems revolved around a knee injury that he suffered early in the 2006 season and hampered him thereafter.

Somewhat remarkably, the Vikings were able to get late-round draft picks for Williamson and James, obtaining a 2008 sixth-rounder from the Jaguars and a seventh-rounder in this weekend's draft from the Redskins, who jettisoned James last December. The Vikings used Jacksonville's pick to take Jackson State wide receiver Jaymar Johnson, who spent last season on their practice squad.

Among the players who were taken after Williamson were linebackers DeMarcus Ware of Troy and Shawne Merriman of Maryland. Ware, selected 11th overall by Dallas, had an NFL-leading 20 sacks last season and Merriman, the 12th pick by San Diego, was named to three consecutive Pro Bowls before missing 2008 after having knee surgery.

The Vikings' misses continued in the fourth round when running back Ciatrick Fason went 112th overall, or three picks after Dallas took former Gophers star Marion Barber III and two picks after Brandon Jacobs went to the Giants. What really hurts is that 18 picks later, the Chargers took Kansas State's Darren Sproles, a mutidimensional threat.

"That overall draft that year was pretty good," ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. said. "I'm talking about mid-first round on. You found a lot of good players in that draft. But the top 10, top nine turned out to be very, very questionable and there were a lot of first-round busts. That draft is going to get bashed, but overall it wasn't bad and some teams really set themselves soaring based on that draft. Other teams, Minnesota being one, really were set back by (it)."

Rick Spielman, who was named the Vikings' vice president of player personnel in May 2006 and now has a large say in the draft process, is hesitant to say anything that might sound critical about a draft that was conducted before he arrived.

"All I know is as you draft guys that you think can play — whether they're starting their first year or they are backups as they grow into a starting position — as you lose older guys you have a pipeline of younger guys that you're developing, that know your system," he said, an attempt to spin the question into a position answer.

Assessing blame for what went wrong in 2005 is difficult and probably pointless. Key decision-makers included former coach Mike Tice, Scott Studwell and Rob Brzezinski. Studwell and Brzezinski remain with the organization, Studwell as director of college scouting and Brzezinski as vice president of football operations. A Vikings spokesman said last week that the organization wouldn't have a comment beyond what Spielman had to say.

Casserly, who ran the 2005 draft for the Texans and took Florida State defensive tackle Travis Johnson 16th overall, defended the Vikings' first-round selections. "Erasmus James had an injury," he said. "Everybody had him rated high. But if a guy gets hurt, whose fault is that? It's nobody's. That's bad luck. And then Troy Williamson was a guy who quite frankly a lot of us had rated highly. We know he didn't play well, but I've got to be honest with you: We would have projected him to be taken up there, too. He was not a guy that they took out of nowhere."

However, the only thing that matters now is Williamson and every other member of that draft for the Vikings are nowhere to be found these days.