Rick Spielman’s Home Run Continues to Nourish the Vikings’ Roster
Former general manager Rick Spielman wasn’t without fault. Perhaps his greatest failure rested in the inability to fully nail the quarterback position, forcing the team to lock-in Kirk Cousins on a record-setting fully-guaranteed deal.
Nevertheless, the GM didn’t keep his job for so long without some success. Spielman’s home run in the 2020 NFL Draft stands out as being among his best moments. He laughed in real time as he giddily drafted the man who’d make the griddy famous. That’s not all he did, though. The same draft class produced several other strong contributors currently impacting Minnesota’s roster.
The Unfortunate Jeff Gladney Story
Right off the top, let’s take on a difficult subject: choosing Jeff Gladney 31st.
At the time, bringing in a young corner caused some eye rolling since Mike Zimmer’s time was often characterised by putting a ton of resources into the position. Gladney was simply the latest example of the GM and HC once again targeting the corner position with high-end draft capital.
Gladney largely struggled as a rookie but there was some hope he’d improve. The young corner never did get to his second season with the Vikings, though, since he was accused of committing a very serious crime. An article from ESPN summarizes the charges: “Gladney, 25, was arrested in April 2021 in Dallas after allegedly assaulting a former girlfriend. He was charged with domestic violence by impeding breathing.”
The jury later found that Gladney wasn’t guilty. He restarted his NFL career with the Arizona Cardinals. Very unfortunately, he later died in a car accident.
Writing an article like this one – celebrating what was a strong draft from Rick Spielman – runs the risk of being overly callous. Genuinely, my desire isn’t to minimize the seriousness of what Gladney was accused of and nor do I seek to overlook how unfortunate his death was. By taking some time to venture into the topic, my hope is to have shown proper respect all around.
Spielman’s Home Run Draft
Spielman did a nice job in the draft.
Picking a player as remarkable as Justin Jefferon at 22nd is wild. In a re-draft, Jefferson would have a strong case for going 2nd. Joe Burrow, an elite young QB, would maintain his spot atop the draft hierarchy. After Mr. Burrow, Jefferson would jostle with Justin Herbert, Andrew Thomas, and Tristan Wirfs for the next pick.
The Spielman brilliance didn’t end with the talented receiver.
In the 2nd round, the Vikings opted for Ezra Cleveland (58th). A left tackle at Boise State, Cleveland slid into the RG spot as a rookie before settling in as the team’s LG of the present (and potentially the future). He has great athleticism, allowing him to march down the field for screens while also being a plus run blocker. Developing a better anchor in pass pro will mean Cleveland has become a top-tier LG.
Moreover, K.J. Osborn (5th, 176th) is essentially a starter. True, Jordan Addison is very likely to snag the WR2 job before long, but 11 personnel will still be the team’s most relied upon grouping. Osborn has developed into a key part of the offense as someone capable of challenging deep. Snagging him in the 5th is great work from the GM and scouts. Don’t be surprised if Osborn is a captain this season.
Meanwhile, the team has been benefiting from several of the depth options.
Josh Metellus (6th, 205th) really stands out as an excellent depth safety. He’s a special teams star, blocking a pair of punts last year while also being a tackling terror. Excellent player who should thrive working within Brian Flores’ defense.
D.J. Wonnum (4th, 117th) has added value as a rotational pass rusher, James Lynch (4th, 130th) has provided versatile depth along the DL, Troy Dye’s (4th, 132nd) length and speed combo shows up for Matt Daniels, and Blake Brandel (6th, 203) is a wonderful OT3.
The wild thing is that we’re not even considering Cameron Dantzler (3rd, 89th), who was a surprise release earlier in the offseason. Many – including yours truly – believed Dantzler would develop into a starting corner for the Vikings. Being the CB2 wasn’t outside the realm of possibility for the young DB, but he’ll need to pursue that objective with Buffalo.
In the end, the Vikings walked away from the 2020 NFL Draft with a stunning 15 picks. Slick Rick certainly lived up to his moniker, ensuring the roster was chock-full of young, cost-controlled talent to help balance the money committed to well-compensated veterans.
As the Vikings continue to get remade in Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s image, the draft class that Spielman put together in 2020 will continue to exert considerable influence.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference helped with this piece.
