Did Andrew Van Ginkel Get Got in the Draft?
Ted Schwerzler
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The Minnesota Vikings knew they would likely have to replace Kirk Cousins this offseason. There were more questions about Danielle Hunter, but he also left. In grabbing Johnathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel during free agency, they filled the edge position, but did Van Ginkel get got during the draft?
Did Andrew Van Ginkel Get Got in the Draft?
When Kwesi Adofo-Mensah went into the final stages of NFL Draft preparation, it was clear he was still largely interested in Drake Maye. Offering up a haul of three first-round picks to the New England Patriots, it seemed as though the Minnesota Vikings wanted to tie their new signal caller to his high school coach, Josh McCown. Instead of parting with more than that though, they leaned into their scouting and grabbed J.J. McCarthy in a great spot.
By holding onto their 23rd overall pick, the Vikings found themselves in the surprising position to draft Dallas Turner as well. The possibilities of where Turner would land were all over the board, and as the best defensive player in the draft, sliding to 17th overall wasn’t seen as realistic. Minnesota jumped at the opportunity to grab an elite edge rusher, and there’s almost no doubt he’ll be a Week 1 starter.
Unfortunately for Andrew Van Ginkel, that will likely come at his expense.
The positive is that Brian Flores has worked with Van Ginkel in Miami and has a level of rapport that should be able to work through the situation. Minnesota paid him as a starter this offseason, and even being relegated to more of a rotation duty, he’s still cashing the checks. Having depth at the edge position is never a bad thing, and while there were fair questions about Marcus Davenport’s desire to be on the field at all, having a backup to pick up for injury is a bonus.
How Flores utilizes his defensive front remains to be seen. The Vikings still don’t have an ideal answer at the defensive tackle position, and while none of the edge rushers are well-utilized in the middle, figuring out ways to blitz the quarterback from all angles is something Flores has to be salivating over. The addition of Blake Cashman to the linebacking group also helps to shuffle things around, and the defensive coordinator’s goal as the year goes on is to put talented players in positions to succeed.
There’s no way to sugarcoat that Van Ginkel’s snap count took a sizable hit during the NFL Draft, but that shouldn’t be seen as a negative when the overall unit was also given an added boost. How the Vikings handle the rest of free agency remains to be seen, but working Turner into the fold as a rookie will be fun to observe.
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.
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