The Forgotten Wrinkle of the Vikings’ 2022 Draft Class
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah arrived in the Twin Cities in January 2022, taking over the general manager position from longtime executive Rick Spielman. The franchise went from a certified football guy to a numbers guy. Both approaches can work. Adofo-Mensah is surrounded by football guys, and Spielman also used a bunch of modern analytics tools, so all those talkers were overblown anyway.
The Forgotten Wrinkle of the Vikings’ 2022 Draft Class
Adofo-Mensah has done some nice things in charge, and the best evidence is the current 2-0 record and the two convincing wins. On the flip side, he has also failed in some instances, none more obvious than his first draft class.
Holding the 12th overall pick, the rookie GM traded back 20 spots with the Detroit Lions of all teams. He then proceeded to trade the 34th pick with the Packers, which is quite a strange start to his tenure. His idea was obvious. Get more picks to fill more holes.
Nothing is wrong with this way of thinking if the right players are selected, but this is where it went south. Adofo-Mensah drafted Lewis Cine and Andrew Booth with his first two picks, but neither of them made it to year three. Cine was cut, and Booth was traded to the Cowboys.
Second-round guard Ed Ingram has become a dependable starter on the offensive line, but third-round pick Brian Asamoah hasn’t been more than a special teamer.
This is where much of the criticism ends. The first four picks include only one starter? Yeah, that draft class must stink. Indeed, it is surely not a class with a bunch of building blocks that lead to the inevitable Super Bowl win.
The problem with this view, however, is that the solid third day of the draft is ignored.
Of those guys, none has turned into a certified star like Stefon Diggs in the 2015 class, but multiple players have earned a role on the team. That includes fourth-rounder Akayleb Evans, fifth-rounder Ty Chandler, and sixth-rounder Jalen Nailor.
Esezi Otomewo was cut after his rookie season and Vederian Lowe was traded to the Patriots last August, practically returning his initial draft pick, a sixth-rounder. Nick Muse, the final piece of the puzzle, is still on the team and recovered Sunday’s game-winning onside kick.
Let’s start with Evans. The fourth-round selection played a little in his rookie campaign, but injuries slowed him down. In year two, he started all 17 games. His play was up and down, but he has been well worth the investment.
Two guys have recently starred, though. Nailor is Minnesota’s WR3, and with Jordan Addison out, he has been elevated to an important role. He stepped up when Justin Jefferson got hurt, caught a touchdown in each game, and made some clutch catches against the 49ers. He has tabulated four catches for 75 yards and two touchdowns in his 2024 season.
Chandler is Minnesota’s RB2 behind Aaron Jones, but on Sunday, he showed that he could be more than that, rushing for 82 yards on only ten carries. If he can become a reliable option, the Vikings would have a sweet tandem a year after having no reliable option at the RB position.
Do those players transform the draft class into a good one? No, absolutely not.
But the draft didn’t end after the first two picks or the first three rounds; it continued. Adofo-Mensah made some decent picks, which should be taken into account when claiming it is the “worst draft class of all time.”
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference helped with this article.
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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