First-Round Failure Impacting Current Vikings in Significant Way
K. Joudry
|
The 2022 version of the Vikings look more talented than previous iterations. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah made some shrewd moves during free agency, and several of the drafted rookies look like early contributors.
One thing that’s notable, though, is that the Vikings are currently dealing with the reality of several failed first-round selections. In an ideal world, the majority of one’s first-round players develop into long-term starters. The reality, of course, often falls short of that lofty goal. One has to think that Minnesota’s record from 2010-19 has put this team in a bit of a tricky spot.
Take a look the decade of first-round selections for Minnesota:
- 2010: N/A
- 2011: Christian Ponder
- 2012: Matt Kalil, Harrison Smith
- 2013: Sharrif Floyd, Xavier Rhodes, Cordarrelle Patterson
- 2014: Anthony Barr, Teddy Bridgewater
- 2015: Trae Waynes
- 2016: Laquon Treadwell
- 2017: N/A
- 2018: Mike Hughes
- 2019: Garrett Bradbury
In ten years, the Vikings made twelve first-round selections. Only two remain on the team: future Hall of Famer Harrison Smith and bust Garrett Bradbury. Otherwise, the players aren’t in the NFL anymore or they’re playing elsewhere.
Just think of the depth in the secondary, or lack thereof. How much different would this roster look if just one of Waynes or Hughes turned into a CB1? Neither of the two QBs worked out. Treadwell never became a strong receiver, and Minnesota didn’t unlock Patterson’s full potential.
The 2022 Vikings roster is thus navigating the consequences of these misses. Instead of a homegrown QB, Kirk Cousins is making a lot to be the QB1. Instead of plenty of depth among the corners, the Vikings have put some new youth alongside the veteran Patrick Peterson. We could go on, but you see the point.
Now, it’s worth mentioning that the drafts aren’t all doom & gloom. Eric Kendricks, Danielle Hunter, Brian O’Neill, Dalvin Cook, Irv Smith Jr., Stefon Diggs, Armon Watts, and Kyle Rudolph are just some examples of the strong picks made during the timeframe we’ve been discussing. The first-round misses do impact the Vikings, and yet they haven’t been completely unable to identify talent. Oh, and that Harrison Smith guy ended up being pretty good.
Moving forward, the hope is obviously that there is a greater record of first-round success. Both Justin Jefferson and Christian Darrisaw look like incredible selections. The hope is that Lewis Cine will be just one more impact player who can help Minnesota get back into relevance.
[brid autoplay=”true” video=”1018742″ player=”26281″ title=”WATCH%203%20ideal%20trade%20destinations%20for%20Robert%20Quinn” duration=”107″ description=”Sacking the quarterback rarely comes easily in the NFL (unless you’re one away from a record). For Chicago Bears pass rusher Robert Quinn, he recorded more sacks during the 2021-22 NFL season than any other player, with 18.5 QB takedowns. He’s clearly really good at what he does. Meanwhile, the Chicago Bears? Are not. This could lead to a trade either this offseason or early in the year once they get off to a miserable start according to Jason La Canfora of CBS.” uploaddate=”2022-05-24″ thumbnailurl=”undefined” contentUrl=”https://cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/17660/streaming/1018614/1018614.m3u8″ width=”16″ height=”9″]