Evaluating the (Sometimes Befuddling) Vikings’ Draft Trades After 1 Year
The Vikings’ draft trades don’t look great after a year.
Thankfully, the final chapter hasn’t been written. Quite the opposite is true. The players we’re discussing are closer to the beginning of their NFL stories than the ending. Optimism remains for Lewis Cine, Andrew Booth Jr., Brian Asamoah, and the others from Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s first draft class.
Even still, it’s hard to overlook their modest production in 2022. Of the 10 players who were brought aboard, only Ed Ingram carved out a starting role for the entire season. The college-LG-turned-NFL-RG struggled to keep Kirk Cousins upright.
Indeed, after all the wheeling and dealing, the early return doesn’t look very good.
Heading into the 2023 NFL Draft with a modest 5 selections means we’re likely to see some more trades to bring in more picks. What kind of insight can we glean from Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s first kick at the can?
The Vikings’ Draft Trades: 2022 Edition
The Vikings writer had much to discuss during last year’s draft. Adofo-Mensah pulled off a whopping 6 draft trades. The picks were flying around faster than McDonald’s fries coming out of the deep fryer.
Take a look at all of the dealings for the former Wall Street trader:
- Minnesota Trades #12 & #46 for Detroit’s #32, #34, & #66.
- Minnesota Trades #34 for Green Bay’s #53 & #59
- Minnesota Trades #53, #77, & #192 for Indianapolis’ #42 & #122
- Minnesota Trades #156 & 2023 4th for Cleveland’s #118
- Minnesota Trades #122 & #250 for Las Vegas’ #126 & #227
- Minnesota Trades #126 for Las Vegas’ #165 & #169
And, as a refresher, take a look at Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s opening draft class as the Minnesota GM:
- Lewis Cine, 32nd
- Andrew Booth Jr., 42nd
- Ed Ingram, 59th
- Brian Asamoah, 66th
- Akayleb Evans, 118th
- Esezi Otomewo, 165th
- Ty Chandler, 169th
- Vederian Lowe, 184th
- Jalen Nailor, 191st
- Nick Muse, 227th
Keeping up? Even after a year and seeing it all laid out in point form, the full gamut of Minnesota’s moves can still be dizzying. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was a busy man.
Unfortunately, the 2022 draft class’s initial season in the NFL wasn’t without hardship. The trio that was supposed to revitalize the secondary – Cine, Booth, & Evans – struggled to stay on the field. Of the 3, Evans made the most impact, but he only had 162 defensive snaps.
Seeing as how very little has been done to reinforce the corner position, the Vikings must be feeling confident in their sophomores’ ability to not only stay on the field but make an impact once there. Plus, the hope is evidently to bring in some more talent during the NFL Draft and through this year’s UDFAs.
Now, when we look at the draft trades from 30,000 feet, we don’t see too much reason for optimism. Or, at least, not too much reason for optimism if we’re basing our analysis solely on what they did last season.
Much remains a mystery with this group. Ingram allowed 11 sacks, 18 QB hits, and 58 total pressures last season. When he was selected, the pick was criticized for both the guard’s off-field concerns and on-field ability. Many within the draft community felt like it was a reach. After a single season, some of those concerns about on-field play carry more weight. Perhaps another year working as a RG will lead to improvement.
Cine, Booth, and Evans will all have an opportunity to assert themselves in Brian Flores’ defense. The first-round safety has a nice shot of snagging a starting spot. Camryn Bynum played 100% of the defensive snaps last season but he often struggled. Completions into his coverage went for an average of 16.5 yards and he was dinged with allowing 8 TDs. If Cine can’t overtake him, then there is some reason for concern.
As we stand back to assess the trades, it’s fair to wonder about their effectiveness. The Lions deal is still so peculiar, especially since safety Kyle Hamilton was on the board at 12. The Ravens’ young DB went on to become PFF’s highest-ranked safety in 2022. Even more impressive is that he lined up in the slot for 354 snaps, easily the highest of any spot on the field. The Vikings could have used that kind of help last season.
In the end, we need to content ourselves with waiting a few more years to truly know whether the trades worked out. The initial results aren’t encouraging, but 2023 is a new season with high hopes for the Purple & Gold.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and PFF helped with this piece.
