Kwesi Adofo-Mensah Shattered Old Vikings Draft Trends in Round 1
Josh Frey
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Heading into the 2024 NFL Draft, Vikings fans were anxious to see what Kwesi Adofo-Mensah would do in the first round.
Well, now that the first night of the draft has concluded, the Vikings have found a way to not only land a quarterback, but they also got one of the top pass rushers in the class. Throughout the night, Adofo-Mensah shattered some of the old trends of former Vikings drafts. Here is a look at how he pulled it off.
Top 10 Quarterback
For the first time in the franchise history of the Minnesota Vikings, they decided to select a quarterback with a top 10 pick. Obviously, they needed to find an answer at quarterback somewhere after Kirk Cousins left in free agency, but Adofo-Mensah has solidified himself as the first Vikings GM to pull off the move.
Even better, Adofo-Mensah was able to do so without trading away Minnesota’s 2025 first-round pick or No. 23. He simply bided his time, and when the right moment came, he struck and got a deal done to snatch J.J. McCarthy.
First Round EDGE Rusher
Adofo-Mensah wasn’t done trading up after getting his QB. Because he was able to hold onto No. 23 overall, he had extra ammunition in his pocket to pull off yet another trade up the board. In that trade, he snatched yet another premium position player that hasn’t been on the top of Minnesota’s minds in the draft for nearly two decades.
That player, obviously, was Dallas Turner, whom the Vikings acquired with the 17th overall pick. It was the first time that Minnesota selected an edge rusher in the first round. Of course, some may criticize the price attached to the trade to move up six spots, but Minnesota landed a player at a premium position. If Turner works out, nobody will be talking about the extra picks that the Vikings threw into the deal.
Multiple Top 20 Picks
As evidenced above, gone are the days of the Minnesota Vikings either standing pat or moving back in the draft. For just the third time since 1967, Minnesota made a pair of top 20 picks on Thursday night. The 2024 draft joined that 1967 class (the Alan Page draft) and 2005.
Heading into the event, it was hyped up as arguably the most important draft in Vikings history, and Adofo-Mensah lived up to the billing.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference helped with this article.
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Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.