When Kwesi Adofo-Mensah traded the 12th pick in the NFL Draft to the Detroit Lions, he probably didn’t expect wide receiver Jameson Williams to make his NFL debut on Dec. 11 against the Vikings. Neither did it.
Lo and behold, that’s exactly the scenario facing Adofo Mensah and the Vikings, and Lions head coach Dan Campbell announced Monday that he will be out of rehab for the torn ACL Williams suffered in January’s College Football National Championship game. hinted that he could return to the Vikings just in time. 14th week.
Minnesota finished 12th and 46th with the 32nd, 34th and 66th picks. They made the safe Luis Sinet the first pick in his Mensah era adfo. Season over. Uncertain about the future.
Out of his hands, it’s a 0-1 start for the new GM.
Adfo-Mensah then traded the 34th pick to the Packers for picks 53 and 59. Green Bay turned it into Christian Watson. Last 3 games.
The Vikings used the draft capital they acquired from the Packers (Pick 53) to move to Pick 42, and Adfo Mensah selected cornerback Andrew Booth Jr. Concerns about his injury, and the fact that he couldn’t shake them off after being battered in training camp, are reportedly out the season after undergoing knee surgery on Monday.
If you keep your score at home, it’s 0 to 2.
With the 59th pick, Adfomencer got Ed Ingram. Pro His Football According to his focus, he starts every game at right guard, but in passing his block he ranks 75th among 88 guards. His 44 pressures he has allowed are nine more than any other guard in the NFL. That includes the NFL’s worst eight sacks, tied with Vikings left guard Ezra Cleveland for the most 13 sacks a guard allows.
scroll to continue
The jury is still out on Ingram. The fact that he won the first job is a testament to his potential as well as hinting at the depth of Minnesota’s internal offensive line.
Adofo-Mensah took linebacker Brian Asamoah with the 66th pick. He’s played on special teams and is expected to be just that, a rookie.
That draft day trade with the Lions started a domino effect, making Cine, Booth Jr., Ingram and Asamoah purple and gold. This left the Lyons obscure with Williams and the Packers potential stars with Watson. The Lions also scored defensive end Josh his Pascal with the 46th pick. He’s a slow mover, but he made eight impact plays against the Packers a few weeks ago.
Players the Vikings could have picked at age 12 if Adfo Mensah didn’t trade down: Kyle Hamilton, a safety from Notre Dame who went to the Ravens at No. 14. Its PFF rates him as the number one safety player in the NFL.
Beyond a trade that could ultimately be ruled a disaster, Adofo Mensah could have won gold with cornerback Akeleb Evans in 118th.
It’s too early to fully judge the players selected for rounds 5-7: defensive end Eseji Otomewo (No. 165), running back Ty Chandler (No. 169), tackle Bederian Lowe (No. 184), Wide receiver Jalen Naylor (No. 191) and tight end Nick Mews (No. 227).
Other than Ingram, whose influence has been both positive and negative, no one in Adfo-Mensah’s 2022 draft class has made an impact this season. And who knows if anyone in the 2022 class beyond Ingram and Evans will make an impact in 2023 and beyond.
Related: Viking Clinch Scenarios and Races for the No. 1 Seed
RELATED: Brian Murphy: This is the Kirk Cousins the Vikings Needed