Breaking Down the Vikings First Round
Josh Frey
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Leading up to the NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings were trending towards two options: either they would take one of the top CBs at No. 12, or they would trade down and gather more assets. Once Derek Stingley Jr. and Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner were off the board within the first four picks, it seemed obvious which direction they would go in.
Of course, the slide for Minnesota was longer than many would have guessed–moving down 20 spots from 12 to 32. The actual return was decent, though. They sent away No. 46, but they got back No. 34 as well as No. 66. Some may be upset that the Vikings didn’t hold out and keep No. 46. This argument is valid. I’ve said multiple times throughout this process that I would want as many Day Two picks as I can get in this class. No matter what though, they still gained another pick. If 46 was the dealbreaker, then you need to throw it in.
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At No. 32, the Vikings left many scratching their heads with the selection of Lewis Cine. This included me, until Kwesi Adofo-Mensah stepped to the podium to defend his selection. I don’t have doubts about Cine’s talent. He is an uber-athletic safety who can play all over the field. He can run stop, or he can win one-on-one battles in pass coverage. He’s also a terrific free safety given his speed. This is something you probably cannot do with a Kyle Hamilton given his limited acceleration. Cine is a fine prospect, but my question was how the trio of Camryn Bynum, Harrison Smith, and Cine would all see consistent playing time.
Well, Kwesi answered those questions in his presser. To open up, he spoke glowingly about Cam Bynum, calling him a player that he was very excited about. He also said that both Bynum and Cine were extremely versatile players making the duo something that opposing offense will “have to think about”.
As I mentioned, Cine did have some highlights stepping up into the box and playing some one-on-one coverage at Cincinnati. It’s not crazy to think he could do that on occasion. Bynum also played majority CB for the California, so he could go back to some of his roots as a corner. If nothing else, the Minnesota Vikings have many different ways that they can approach opponents on a week-to-week basis, and that makes them a dangerous team heading into 2022. We’ll see if this theme of versatility remains a key focus through rounds 2-7.
How Lewis Cine Fits With The Vikings