3rd Time Has to Be a Charm for Kwesi Adofo-Mensah
The Minnesota Vikings have employed Kwesi Adofo-Mensah for three different NFL Draft cycles now, and the third one has to be the charm if he’s going to survive for the next handful.
3rd Time Has to Be a Charm for Kwesi Adofo-Mensah
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah took over for Rick Spielman as the Minnesota Vikings general manager. He immediately went out and tried to zig where others zagged during his first NFL Draft. We may be reminded about those misses in short order by trading away picks, passing on Kyle Hamilton, and taking Lewis Cine. The 2023 NFL Draft saw Jordan Addison become a near-instant hit, but the jury is out on the rest of the group. Regardless of how that turns out, nothing will be more important than the quick returns from the 2024 NFL Draft class.
As the Vikings work through their cutdowns during training camp this summer, Lewis Cine and Andrew Booth Jr. are expected to be among them. Cine was injured out of the gate and has been ineffective since. Whether that has to do with the injury-stunting development or not, he has earned a bunch of money to provide very little value on the field. Adofo-Mensah thought he was being sly in taking an oft-injured prospect in the form of Booth Jr., but he’s been unable to stay on the field at the pro level and has been only moderately effective when out there as well.
To say that Adofo-Mensah messed up his first draft would be putting it lightly.
Getting a talent like Addison in year two is a solid come-up, and even if he’s the only player to cash in from that collection, the net gain is a positive. With a quarterback and potential star edge in 2024, there’s no denying both have to work.
The Vikings opted against paying either Kirk Cousins or Danielle Hunter this offseason. From a salary cap perspective, that’s more than a straightforward decision. When deciding to reset both positions, though, the brain trust has to be sure their evaluation was correct, and Adofo-Mensah must hope that the combination of Kevin O’Connell and Brian Flores will be the right leaders to develop them.
Rarely does a front office or coaching staff get multiple chances at the quarterback position. This is certainly the one that the Vikings will have afforded. If McCarthy can’t establish himself as the future within the next year or two, then Minnesota will find itself clearing house and in a similar spot all over again.
The general manager who drafted poorly in his first opportunity looked to pull off a nice haul during his third go-round. Now, we just have to hope the selections age well.
Vikings Defender Chopped from Roster
Ted Schwerzler is a blogger from the Twin Cities that is focused on all things Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Vikings. He’s active on Twitter and writes weekly for Twins Daily. As a former college athlete and avid sports fan, covering our pro teams with a passion has always seemed like such a natural outlet.
You must be logged in to post a comment.