There’s a Documentary Series about Vikings Rookie LB
Dustin Baker
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As a result of the Round 1 draft trade with the Detroit Lions in April, the Minnesota Vikings landed linebacker Brian Asamoah in the 3rd Round. Here’s a graphic from @purplebuckeye on Twitter breaking down the trade.
Asamoah is unlikely to start for the 2022 Vikings as an off-ball linebacker because veterans Eric Kendricks and Jordan Hicks are tabbed in a preliminary sense for those jobs.
But Asamoah can make an impact, as the Vikings depth drop-off from Kendricks and Hicks to “the others” is vast.
And because Asamoah figures to become an integral part of the Vikings defense for a minimum of four years, you now have an opportunity to learn more about the Oklahoma alumnus.
A YouTube documentary about Asamoah was released on Monday, with the first episode detailing some of his origins and the lead-up process to the 2022 NFL Draft. It is unclear how many episodes will air, but Episode One is readily available.
Labeled an “offseason standout” by ESPN, Asamoah joins the Vikings as the defensive switches to a 3-4 scheme for the first time since the 1980s. Minnesota cleaned house after the 2021 season, switching coaching staffs to a system led by Kevin O’Connell, who won a Super Bowl with the Los Angeles Rams in February. Asamoah is freakishly fast, and his speed will transfer to the Vikings defense with ease.
Asamoah resembles a safety on the field, not a customary off-ball linebacker as his job title suggests. Gone are the days of linebackers wearing beefy shoulder pads. Conversely, linebackers are becoming leaner and more agile to combat the NFL’s offensive shift to throwing the football.
The new Vikings linebacker signed a four-year, $5.49 million deal with a signing bonus of $1.17 million in early June. He ran a 4.56-second 40-yard dash in the build-up to the draft and was theorized by some as a 2nd-Round pick. Asamoah played 37 games after redshirting in 2018 but started 19 games in 2020 and 2021 for the Sooners.
Asamoah’s family originated in Ghana, the same country where Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has roots. Episode One of the documentary touches on the topic.
At training camp in less than two weeks, Asamoah will battle Troy Dye, Blake Lynch, Chazz Surratt, and Ryan Connelly for defensive snaps behind Kendricks and Hicks.
Asamoah was teammates with Jalen Hurts, CeeDee Lamb, and Creed Humphrey at Oklahoma.
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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