The announcement of the Vikings’ first-round pick will be special

But this is a different reason

It’s always a big moment when an NFL team announces its first-round draft choice. Sure, the other picks are important, but the first round has the brightest spotlight and the highest expectations.

While the announcement of those picks is usually handled by the NFL Commissioner, this year’s first-round selection for the Minnesota Vikings will bring us something different. That’s because the family of U.S. Army Sergeant Zachary Ewing will be joining Roger Goodell on stage when the selection is announced.

According to the press release from the league:

Surviving family members of United States Army Sergeant Zachary Ewing – including his mother Becky, brother Trenton, and nephew Asher – will join Commissioner Goodell on the NFL Draft stage to announce the selection of the Minnesota Vikings’ first round pick. As a U.S. Army service member, Zachary served multiple deployments overseas in Afghanistan and Iraq. Zachary tragically passed away following the diagnosis of a rare and aggressive cancer that was identified during his deployment. Zachary was a lifelong fan of his hometown Vikings and Becky fondly remembers spending some of his last few weeks together watching the team play with his family.

While we don’t know for sure what role the Ewing family will play in the selection, whether a member of the family will actually be doing the announcement or if they’ll just be accompanying Roger Goodell on stage, it will definitely be an emotional moment for them as well as everyone in attendance at this year’s NFL Draft.

The Vikings’ first selection in the 2024 NFL Draft is going to be a special one for a young man that will be embarking on his NFL career. Now it’s also going to be special for the family of a long-time fan that, sadly, is no longer among us.