The Positions Kwesi Adofo-Mensah Has Never Drafted
K. Joudry
|
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has been at the helm for a pair of drafts. Soon, the tandem will jump up to a trio.
The GM’s work in 2022 and 2023 has resulted in sixteen total selections. The result of those sixteen selections is a satisfying eight picks getting sent toward the offense and then eight picks being sent toward defense. Within that work, Adofo-Mensah has failed to sink a pick into five different positions.
The Positions Kwesi Adofo-Mensah Has Never Drafted
At times, sifting through a list of information can be tedious. In an effort to undermine the tedium, I’ve assembled some charts below. The hope is that the information is easy to digest.
Consider football’s many positions and the work Minnesota’s young GM has done:
Offense
| Positions | Vikings Draft Picks |
| QB | Jaren Hall (2023) |
| OT | Vederian Lowe (2022) |
| OG | Ed Ingram (2022) |
| C | N/A |
| WR | Jalen Nailor (2022), Jordan Addison (2023) |
| RB | Ty Chandler (2022), DeWayne McBride (2023) |
| TE | Nick Muse (2022) |
Defense
| Positions | Vikings Draft Picks |
| DT | Jaquelin Roy (2023) |
| DE | Esezi Otomewo (2022) |
| EDGE | N/A |
| LB | Brian Asamoah (2022) |
| CB | Andrew Booth Jr. (2022), Akayleb Evans (2022), Mekhi Blackmon (2023) |
| S | Lewis Cine (2022), Jay Ward (2023) |
Special Teams
| Positions | Vikings Draft Picks |
| K | N/A |
| P | N/A |
| LS | N/A |
Begin with the special teams.
The simple fact that there hasn’t been a kicker, punter, or long snapper isn’t earth shattering. What would be more surprising is if he had sunk a pick into one of these spots. One does wonder, though, if the special teams shutout will soon end. After all, only John Parker Romo is at kicker, a situation that points toward adding help.
Don’t be shocked if one of those Day 3 selections — currently, there are seven of them — get used on someone who can help with field goals and extra points.
Maybe the most surprising part of the above-listed information is the absence of edge rushers.
In fairness, Adofo-Mensah has put a lot of focus on the position. Free agency has brought in talent like Za’Darius Smith, Marcus Davenport, Jonathan Greenard, and Andrew Van Ginkel (among others). And then the UDFA signings have featured Luiji Vilain, Zach McCloud, and Andre Carter II.
Even with the added info, it’s still a notable detail from these past two drafts. A huge amount of picks — five — have been used on the defensive backfield. At some point, the focus will shift toward the front seven; does the 2024 NFL Draft kick over a promising pass rusher?
Finally, the center position.
Garrett Bradbury is moving into Year 2 of the extension Kwesi Adofo-Mensah constructed for the 2019 1st-round pick. Any chance Minnesota looks to bring in an upside youngster to marinate behind the improving veteran?
Brandon Thorn, a foremost authority on the offensive line, recently had this to say about the 2024 group of centers: “As I finish the later round OL prospects this class the center group has become the clear-cut best I’ve seen over the last four drafts of watching all the OL. Over their rookie contracts, I don’t think it’s crazy to say we can see as many as 10 guys start games at the pivot.”
So while it seems very unlikely that a pick goes toward punter and/or long snapper, the Vikings look like a reasonable contender to devote some of their resources toward edge rusher, center, and kicker.
The Top Three Items on Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s Checklist for the 2024 NFL Draft
K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter and as a co-host for Notes from the North, a humble Vikings podcast.