Last Year’s Vikings Draft Pick Needs a Big August
The 2023 draft class has been more impactful than Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s first group in charge of Minnesota’s draft picks. It featured Jordan Addison, the only pick in the top 100. After an up-and-down offseason with the infamous speeding incident and an injury absence because of a concussion, he turned into a wonderful partner for Justin Jefferson.
Last Year’s Vikings Draft Pick Needs a Big August
Ivan Pace, of course, played a big role on the defensive side of the ball, and coordinator Brian Flores put enormous trust in the undrafted rookie. Third-rounder Mekhi Blackmon was a rotational player in the secondary, and quarterback Jaren Hall started two games with limited success. Jay Ward and Jaquelin Roy had minor depth roles on defense.
Most fans have forgotten one draft selection, although they had lofty expectations for him. Seventh-round choice DeWayne McBride failed to make an impact in his debut season despite the struggles in the running attack. His second training camp and preseason will determine whether the Vikes keep him on the team or part ways with him.
Running back was a popular request in Skol Nation entering the 2023 draft. Bijan Robinson was out of reach, but there were rumors about an interest in Alabama’s star runner Jahmyr Gibbs, who would later be chosen by the Lions. Adofo-Mensah also passed on rushers in rounds three through six, where he could have found someone to help the team offset the loss of Dalvin Cook. Instead, he chose McBride in the seventh round.
He was an intriguing prospect, as he registered outstanding numbers in college, but there was a huge asterisk: His pass-catching numbers were embarrassing. McBride only caught five passes in three seasons at UAB.
In those three campaigns, he rushed 484 times for 3,523 yards and 36 touchdowns. Almost 3,100 yards and 32 scores came in his final two seasons. Those numbers raise eyebrows. UAB is playing in the Conference USA, and the lower level inflated his production. Still, a player without talent can’t rack up those statistics.
Following Cook’s exit, it was officially Alexander Mattison’s job. That experiment failed dramatically, and he lost snaps to Cam Akers and, later, his starting role to Ty Chandler. The Vikings couldn’t run the ball throughout the year, which hurt the offense all season.
Minnesota parted ways with Mattison prior to free agency, leaving Ty Chandler as the RB1. When the Packers released longtime runner Aaron Jones, the Vikings acted quickly and signed the veteran to form a new rushing duo. In the draft, Adofo-Mensah once again passed on running backs, but he re-signed practice squad player, Myles Gaskin, while kick return specialist Kene Nwangwu and fullback C.J. Ham are still under contract.
After spending his debut season on the practice squad, McBride now must show some improvement in training camp. He looked marginally slower than Chandler last year. McBride will also get a chance to run the ball in the preseason after disappointing in that setting a year ago.
The 22-year-old could claim the role of the RB3 behind Jones and Chandler, but growth is essential for that. It is unclear if the Vikings would keep him around for a second season on the practice squad if there isn’t any boost to his game.
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Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and prefers Classic rock over other genres. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt