In Odd Explanation, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah Seems to Defend a More Cautious Strategy
Succeeding in golf — not that I have firsthand experience of such a phenomena; the divots I leave are roughly equal in size to the one caused by the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs — is all about knowing when to hold ’em and knowing when to fold ’em (so to speak).
The metaphor thus made a lot of sense. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was prompted to reflect on his decision to stick at No. 24, snagging a promising guard in Donovan Jackson from Ohio State rather than trading. Going further down the board does have some appeal, but there are times when one knows that the course demands a safer approach shot. So, Adofo-Mensah decided to pull out an iron rather than reach for his 3-wood.
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah & The Golf Metaphor
Back in the day, Phil Mickelson seemed to possess unlimited creativity and derring-do (long before the LIV craziness).
The strategy, of course, led to no shortage of highs and lows for the talented golfer. Being able to bomb it off the tee is one thing; being willing to try superhuman shots from near impossible lies is quite another. Mickelson knew no fear, a strategy that both gives and takes away.
Unlike vintage Mickelson, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah seems to be willing to play the course conservatively. Or, put differently, navigate the 2025 NFL Draft with steady competence rather than flashy extravagance.
Consider how the GM discussed the matter: “I was a golfer in high school. I was okay, I wasn’t great. But when you start to get good at golf is when you start removing like the triple bogeys from your round, the double bogeys. And how you do that is, you hit one in the rough, you don’t take your 3-wood out and start hacking away. You maybe take your 7-iron, play the lie, get 50 yards short, chip up, and get up-and-done for a bogey, worst case.”
He goes on: “And so to me, I think approaching this draft from a mindset of, hey let’s just, if the play is to hit the ball down the fairway, let’s do that. If it’s going to be four picks at four positions that we really want, four great character people, four skill sets we require, let’s go do that and we’ll figure everything else out.”
“Whatever the course is kind of asking us to hit, we’re going to hit that club out of the bag and see what happens,” Adofo-Mensah concludes.
Go ahead and consider the golfing metaphor. Lots of wisdom there, right? If so, then why the insistence in the title of there being an “odd explanation?” Well, as recently as last year’s draft, the same GM was discussing being willing to take bold risks, not being afraid, and overcoming the irrational in the NFL draft (read more). So, the more current quote reads a bit differently.
One wonders if Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is espousing this theory after reflecting on his approach in previous years, especially the 2022 NFL Draft. To stick with his metaphor, Adofo-Mensah may have been trying to launch a shot out of the rough to reach the green in two back in ’22.
Without question, the 2022 draft class was a failure. Adjust by being a bit less like vintage Phil Mickelson?
Maybe so. Consider, for instance, the simple fact that Adofo-Mensah’s draft-day trades have been declining. There were six in 2022, three in 2023, and two in 2024. We could bump up that 2024 number if we include the March swap to get Houston’s 1st, but even then we’re talking about someone who was maintaining par — consecutive years of three trades — rather than shaving a stroke off his scorecard.
Another important fact: the point of the NFL draft is not to be the most prolific trader. Rather, it’s to select excellent players who can go on to help a team compete for a Super Bowl. If trades help to pursue that end goal, then pull off the trade. If, however, there’s more wisdom in simply playing the easy shot — staying at one’s organic pick — then do the wise thing and move on with a nice score.
Prior to the draft, Jeff Diamond offered a warning to Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and the Vikings, cautioning against moving down too far in the draft. The veteran former executive offered a succinct summary of his trade-down philosophy toward the end of his piece: “So for Minnesota in next week’s draft, stay put at No. 24 if there is a premier offensive guard, corner, safety or defensive lineman but still take the best player available regardless of position and if he plays guard, corner or safety as the three biggest need positions, then so much the better.”
Diamond continues: “And if there’s an offer to move down three or four spots thus staying in the first round and pick up an extra third and fourth round pick in a deep draft, then do it as long as there are at least three players with close to equal grades waiting in the later spot and there’s not a Pro Bowl caliber player sitting there at No. 24.”
The Vikings, quite possibly, view Donovan Jackson as the Pro Bowl-level guard that Diamond mentions as a priority. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, quite possibly, wasn’t willing to forfeit more than just a few spots, as Diamond suggests, instead opting to hit the safer shot by snagging a player whom they believe can be an excellent addition to the roster.
Later on tonight and tomorrow, we’ll see what kind of shots Adofo-Mensah makes as he continues navigating the course.
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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 social media (@VikingsGazette). If you feel so inclined, subscribe to his Substack, The Vikings Gazette, for more great Vikings content.