Add another notch under the belt of respect for our sport. As reported by ESPN today and The Guillotine back in 2015, Minnesota Vikings' head coach Mike Zimmer had his life shaped by wrestling. Ultimately, his wrestling past is what made the Vikings' approach to this year's draft a bit different than others in the NFL.

In the third round, the Vikings drafted Ohio State center Pat Elflein, a four-year letter winner and the 2011 OCC Wrestler of the Year. One round later, they chose Iowa defensive tackle Jaleel Johnson, a two-year letter winner at Montini Catholic in Illinois. . 

"Immediately in my mind, [when I hear a player was a wrestler,] I think, 'This guy has incredible toughness and balance,'" Vikings scouting director Jamaal Stephenson said in the ESPN article. "Especially for offensive line and defensive line, that is a critical attribute you want to have. So I just think, especially if they were good at it, that this guy was pretty tough and has pretty good balance."

Elflein was also a FloNational All-American in 2012 before hanging up his wrestling shoes for good to become the Buckeyes' center. 

Zimmer also was a standout wrestler himself in high school. In the 1970s, he was all-conference for Lockport High School in Illinois. 

"That was the hardest thing [I did]," Zimmer told ESPN. "It was just tough. You had to be physical. You cut weight, you're in there, and you're just grinding. It's just you and [your opponent]. These guys, when you go out there and you're battling three periods and it's man-on-man, not only is it a lot about technique and competition and you against him, but it's also about balance and body control. At the end of the day, it comes down to a lot about, 'I'm going to whip his butt, or he's going to whip mine.'"

This is not the first time that Zimmer has showed his appreciation for wrestling and what it has done for him. Back in 2015, Brian Jerzak of The Guillotine spoke with Zimmer about his mat past as well. 

"You tend to wrestle because you love the sport," Zimmer told The Guillotine. "It is not the most glorious sport. Basketball, football, and other sports tend to get more glory, but the people and the families that go through wrestling -- the dedication that it takes -- you are not doing it for the glory and being on ESPN. You are doing it because you want to be really good. The people and families that are into wrestling are into it for all the right reasons. They are into it because they are trying to get better. They are disciplined; they are trying to do things right. It is not about being shown on SportsCenter."