The Kwesi Draft Dilemma

The Minnesota Vikings are on a tear lately where they feel like a force to be reckoned with in the NFL. A historically chaotic organization that makes the same mistakes and loses games in the most soul crushing ways possible has become calm and fairly consistent even when presented with unforeseen circumstances. This shift was crafted by General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah building a stable culture and having a propensity for doing things the right way. Every action Kwesi has made as GM has resulted in positive results, except for one; drafting.

Since being hired in January 2022 Kwesi has implemented some necessary aspects to building a good team and a strong culture. Hiring coach Kevin O'Connell has shown to be a great move as he's able to squeeze the best out rosters he's given, and the players buy in to what he sells them. It was a coaching hire that aligned with the views of the organization; an organization that prides itself on doing everything it can to make the situation desirable and accommodating for its players. This was proven by the NFLPA report cards released last off-season which had the Vikings ranked as the premier organization, voted on by the players. This ranking is derived from ratings on these categories: Treatment of Families, Food Service, Weight Room, Strength Coaches, Training Room, Training Staff, Locker Room, and Team Travel. The Vikings ranked top 5 in all of them and were top billing in half, showing their dedication to building a winning culture.

The one piece that Kwesi hasn't gotten right is probably the biggest component of being a general manager, the draft. The culture surrounding an organization can be perfect, but it won't equate to winning football unless it's accompanied by NFL caliber talent. Recent trades and free agent signings have been a resounding success, acquiring players like T.J. Hockenson, Dalton Risner, and Byron Murphy Jr that fit the system well has paid off. The draft selections are the piece of talent accumulation that has not borne fruit, as the last two drafts results (so far) have been lackluster to put it nicely.

The 2022 class has been an all timer in terms of being valueless, the first two picks of Lewis Cine and Andrew Booth hardly see the field which is astounding considering how the wretched Vikings defense was last year. Accompanied with the supposed misses in Cine and Booth is the fact that both picks were acquired by trading down from the twelfth pick with Kyle Hamilton on the board. Kwesi opted to go for quantity, Cine (a safety) and Booth instead of quality, the consensus best safety in the draft who is now playing at an All-Pro level for the Ravens. Additionally, only Ed Ingram and Akayleb Evans have been picks from this class to see regular playing time, each having their significant struggles. Ty Chandler shines in his limited touches but hasn't played enough to be able to accurately assess his value. In all this class is a black eye when you assess what could've been had versus what you got, mostly as a result of trying to do too much.

The 2023 class didn't have to provide much to be an improvement, but the selection of Jordan Addison was a hit on a blue chipper that immediately made an impact. 3rd rounder Mekhi Blackmon has been seeing an increased workload as the season progresses and has looked good for a rookie corner. Jarren Hall looked pretty good when thrust into action after Kirk's injury but was knocked out of his first start with a concussion, paving the way for Josh Dobbs. Dobbs' play probably squanders any opportunity for Hall to show his worth barring injury. This is, so far, the end of the line for impact by this draft class, an improvement on 2022 solely based on the Addison selection but still not enough to fill holes in the roster.

Out of the 16 selections Kwesi has made; 1 is a surefire contributor (Addison), 4 show promise (Evans, Blackmon, Hall and Chandler), 1 is a below average starter (Ingram), and the other 10 have been nonfactors. Rookie linebacker Ivan Pace Jr is easily the 2nd most valuable home-grown player the Vikings have acquired under Kwesi, and he was signed as an undrafted free agent.

I believe Kwesi, in demeanor, is the right general manager for the Minnesota Vikings. He's aligned with the core values of the organization and is able to make Minnesota a desirable destination for players. I now need to see Kwesi, the talent coordinator, step up and bolster the roster through the draft in order to sustain success. Having 25% of the selections be useful contributors to the team and 6% be difference maker talent isn't a rate that builds a winner, no matter how awesome the facilities are.