FantasyHQ+
College Football

1981 NFL Draft · Rd 5 · #123 overall

Wendell Ray Missouri Draft

Wendell Ray was drafted No. 123 overall by the Minnesota Vikings in the 1981 NFL Draft out of Missouri. No regular-season snaps on record.

Overall pick
#123
Round
5
Draft class
1981

The pick

How Wendell Ray came off the board in 1981.

Drafted by

Minnesota Vikings

Rd 5 · #123 overall · NFC North

Full 1981 draft class (332 picks)
Position
Defensive end DE
College
Missouri SEC at the draft
Side of the ball
Defense

NFL career

No regular-season snaps on record.

No regular-season career on record yet.

Games, starts, and approximate value appear here once the season data lands.

See the rest of the 1981 class

Around pick 123

Who came off the board on either side of Wendell Ray.

#121 Lynn Thomas DB · SF Pittsburgh #122 Arrington Jones RB · SF Winston-Salem State #124 Todd Thomas C · KC North Dakota #125 Ken Lanier T · DEN Florida State

Missouri in the 1981 draft

Teammates who went in the same class.

#26 Howard Richards G · DAL Missouri #34 James Wilder RB · TB Missouri · 1× Pro Bowl #40 Eric Wright DB · SF Missouri · 1× All-Pro · 2× Pro Bowl #144 Johnnie Poe DB · NO Missouri #172 Bill Whitaker DB · GB Missouri #173 Ron Fellows DB · DAL Missouri

Other DE picks from Missouri

The program's most accomplished players at the same spot.

#4 Justin Smith DE · CIN · 2001 Missouri · 1× All-Pro · 5× Pro Bowl #239 Jeff Cross DE · MIA · 1988 Missouri · 1× Pro Bowl #7 Aldon Smith DE · SF · 2011 Missouri · 1× All-Pro · 1× Pro Bowl #32 Evander Hood DE · PIT · 2009 Missouri #58 Markus Golden DE · ARI · 2015 Missouri #23 Shane Ray DE · DEN · 2015 Missouri

About this draft profile

Last updated Aug 24, 2026

Wendell Ray in the 1981 NFL Draft

Wendell Ray is a Defensive end out of Missouri selected No. 123 overall by the Minnesota Vikings in the 1981 NFL Draft. No regular-season snaps on record. Missouri has produced 108 NFL draft picks since 1980.

Where this data comes from

Pick order and career outcomes come from the nflverse draft archive; position, measurables, and conference at the time of the draft come from the college feed. Career columns stay empty until a player logs regular-season snaps.

Keep exploring

Frequently asked questions

Where was Wendell Ray drafted?

Wendell Ray was selected No. 123 overall by the Minnesota Vikings in the 1981 NFL Draft (Rd 5). Full pick detail at https://fantasyhq.co/cfb-hq/draft-history/players/1981/wendell-ray.

What college did Wendell Ray play for?

Wendell Ray played college football at Missouri in the SEC. See every Missouri draft pick at https://fantasyhq.co/cfb-hq/draft-history/schools/missouri-tigers.

How did Wendell Ray's NFL career turn out?

No regular-season snaps on record. Career outcome data at https://fantasyhq.co/cfb-hq/draft-history/players/1981/wendell-ray.