Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah who was hired in January 2022 after the club parted ways with Rick Spielman. The Vikings finished 13-4 in Adofo-Mensah's first season as general manager.
The only spots on the Minnesota Vikings depth chart that can wholly be ignored in free agency and the NFL draft are offensive tackle and tight end. The franchise is set at those two vital positions, so ginormous bucks or early-round draft capital need not be used.
Everywhere else, though, is on the table for offseason attention. Some Vikings fans want the club to draft a quarterback in the 1st Round, especially after Anthony Richardson’s amazeballs NFL Combine. Others suggest a wide receiver to pair with Justin Jefferson, while a faction suggests interior defensive line and off-ball linebacker, too.
There is plenty to debate for Minnesota’s offseason needs, but no position should be addressed in free agency before cornerback. Circle that one on your offseason roadmap.
You see, the Vikings have young cornerbacks. That is not a problem. The issue is whether Andrew Booth, Cameron Dantzler, and Akayleb Evans turn into starting-caliber commodities. Maybe, maybe not. Drafting a corner in Round 1 with the 23rd overall pick would be fine and dandy, but the Vikings would really just enter the Andrew Booth sweepstakes all over again. Vikings faithful would merely hope that CB is game-ready, just like they did with Booth last summer.
Thankfully, there is a way to hedge this bet — sign a bonafide starting cornerback in free agency next week. It’s that simple. Don’t monkey around in the draft and select another corner — the Vikings have drafted for the position ad nauseam in the last decade.
In the last 15 drafts, the Vikings have drafted at these roster spots in Rounds 1 and 2:
? 10 DBs
? 7 OL
? 4 WRs
? 2 RBs
? 2 QBs
? 2 LBs
? 2 TEs
? 1 iDL
? 0 EDGE
Let’s be done with the train of defensive backs. Minnesota has used 30% of its early-round draft capital in the last 15 years on cornerbacks and safeties, and here we are in 2023, complaining that the secondary is no good. The draft isn’t working, at least not to the degree the allotment drafted should demand. Invest in “sure things.”
And when free agency begins the week of March 13th, assuming the Vikings clear cap space in time, several trustworthy corners will seek new teams, including Jamel Dean, James Bradberry, Cameron Sutton, Marcus Peters, and Jonathan Jones. Sutton and Jones even have ties to new defensive coordinator Brian Flores. Those relationships matter in sports.
Moreover, if the Vikings value familiar solutions, Patrick Peterson and Duke Shelley can be re-signed, as both seem interested in a reunion. Neither man has to be the fix-all, but both played commendably in 2022.
If the Vikings were surrounded on the depth chart with old-man cornerbacks like Xavier Rhodes, Trae Waynes, or Terence Newman, this article would read in bold font — draft young cornerbacks and wrap up the veteran nonsense. But that isn’t the case. Minnesota has the young corners already in-house with Booth, Dantzler, and Evans.
Develop that threesome, sign a Dean, Sutton, or Bradberry — and explore a reunion with Peterson or Shelley.
Otherwise, the Vikings reputation of drafting CBs in Round 1 every year will continue. When will one finally pan out? Sauce Garnder isn’t walking through that door with the No. 23 pick.
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 Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.