Kwesi Won’t Be One-Man Wrecking Crew on Thursday Night
Dustin Baker
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Do you remember when the Minnesota Vikings hired Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, and the team’s ownership, plus the man himself, preached a collaborative culture?
That will be on full display this Thursday night when the Vikings select 12th in the 2022 NFL Draft. To reporters on Tuesday, just two days before the event, Adofo-Mensah explained his draft philosophy:
“You want to have 12 names to be able to go with when the draft starts. You want to be prepared for every possible scenario when its your turn to pick. This won’t be my pick. It’ll be a collaborative effort with everyone as we look at the best player for our needs.”
– Kwesi Adofo-Mensah
While several NFL teams employ a twosome strategy of the general manager and head coach at the helm on draft night, this is the first time Minnesota has affirmed aloud a groupthink approach. The draft will be Adofo-Mensah’s first, so the new executive could’ve seized sole ownership of the process. However, that would be contradictory to his words to date. Everything Adofo-Mensah preaches is about culture and concert.
The Vikings are expected to draft a defensive player on Thursday, mainly because the offensive depth chart is in decent shape for starters. However, the defense could use some depth in the event of injury. Like the 2021 roster, at least for now, the Vikings depth chart is top-heavy.
The main suspects for Minnesota’s 12th overall pick? Fans have concluded it’s a two-horse race between Derek Stingley Jr. from LSU and Trent McDuffie of Washington. If Stingley Jr. plunged to the 12th rung on the ladder, the Vikings are virtually assured of hitting the podium with his name in hand. Yet, if Stingley Jr. is gone, Adofo-Mensah could reasonably trade down, accumulating draft capital and potentially drafting McDuffie.
Of course, this could all be fan and analyst-driven poppycock. Adofo-Mensah has never made a draft pick as a general manager. Perhaps he’s been convinced for weeks that Malik Willis, a quarterback, is his guy. Maybe he’s hellbent on a wide receiver as this class is marvelous. The point? Nobody knows. Adofo-Mensah is a giant mystery for the next two days.
But he will have help with the decision, primarily from Kevin O’Connell and draft scouts. The man won’t rule with an iron fist. The pick will be collaborative.
His words, “this won’t be my pick,” are a big damn deal.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sally from Minneapolis. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
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