Who’s the Next “Kwesi Pick” to Leave the Vikings?
The Minnesota Vikings traded 2022 6th-Round draft pick Vederian Lowe to the New England Patriots Sunday night, fetching a 2024 6th-Rounder in return.
Who’s the Next “Kwesi Pick” to Leave the Vikings?
The transaction was unexpected because the Vikings were not perceived to have expendable OT depth, and Lowe was a draft selection by the current general manager, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, 16 months ago. At the time of this article’s publication, the Vikings have only three offensive tackles attached to the roster.
But if Lowe wasn’t untouchable, Adofo-Mensah might be willing to part ways with some of his other draft picks sooner rather than later.
And who might those be?
Andrew Booth (CB)
Adofo-Mensah used 2nd-Round draft capital for Booth in the 2022 NFL Draft and even traded up during the event to snatch him for the Vikings roster. But the knock on Booth — preventing him from 1st-Round draft stock — was injury history.
Then the 2022 season arrived, and Booth was oft-injured. Who could’ve seen it coming? Too, when Booth played, he struggled, and that was that for his NFL maiden voyage.
Fast forward to the 2023 preseason, and Booth once again failed to stand out in the three games. He was on the field last weekend in the Vikings game against the Arizona Cardinals, implying he’s buried on the depth chart.
Adofo-Mensah could possibly trade Booth before the start of the regular season or release him, although neither option is too likely.
Nick Muse (TE)
If team preseason MVP were a thing, Muse would’ve won it this summer. He delivered every time the ball arrived in his purview and truly turned heads in three exhibition games.
He has one problem, though. The Vikings have three TE spots all but wrapped up on the current depth chart. T.J. Hockenson, Josh Oliver, and Johnny Mundt are roster locks, meaning Muse must hope the coaching staff carries four TEs to the active roster.
Muse could be a practice squad candidate, but he’d have to pass through waivers first.
Esezi Otomewo (DE)
Otomewo played in five Vikings games as a rookie in 2022 — 89 defensive snaps and 45 special teams plays. He’s a roster bubble player as of late August.
This is the group he must survive via roster trimdowns:
DE1: Harrison Phillips
DE2: Dean Lowry
DE3: Jonathan Bullard
DE4: Ross Blacklock
DE5: Jaquelin Roy
DE6: Esezi Otomewo
DE7: Sheldon Day
DE8: Junior Aho
Like Muse, Otomewo must hope Minnesota keeps 5-6 players at his roster spot or that men like Blacklock and Day don’t make the team. He could also receive a practice squad assignment.
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,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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