Nov 24, 2022; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings fans react during the game against the New England Patriots at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports.
The day is finally here, and the Minnesota Vikings have made it to draft day. With Kirk Cousins gone to Atlanta and Sam Darnold expected to be little more than a placeholder, this is a draft that fans can look back on for years to come. No matter what happens, pandemonium should be the expected outcome for Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.
From the moment Rick Spielman and Mike Zimmer were let go, the Minnesota Vikings’ ownership was ushering in a changing of the guard for the franchise. While veteran Kirk Cousins held down the quarterback position, he was an aging commodity, and that was before he ruptured his Achilles along the way. Ultimately, there would be a much-needed reset at the position, and now we see that come to fruition.
When the Minnesota Vikings are on the clock Thursday, they will make a decision that alters the course of the franchise’s future. If things go well, the hope is that the quarterback taken will be in purple for the next decade. If things go poorly, then both Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O’Connell will be looking for new jobs a couple of years from now.
The hope for most franchises is that they don’t often find themselves in this position. Drafting with a serious need at the quarterback position means you have nothing to hang your hat on at the most necessary position in sports. Players like Patrick Mahomes are few and far between, and finding someone who can remain consistent like Tom Brady for years to come is something that every organization strives for.
Right now, the Vikings have substantial draft capital to help their roster’s overall situation, but they aren’t in a position to grab an elite prospect at the position they need most.
If that is going to happen, it will take a trade of monumental proportions, and that cost will either quickly become negligible or something that sets the franchise back for years.
When the dust settles on Thursday’s first round, the Vikings will have already sealed their fate and signified how they will move forward. Fans will have an idea of what the weeks of speculation ultimately led to, and the franchise will have no alternative but to move forward and make things work. For an offseason riddled with interesting storylines, nothing gets more spotlight than Thursday night.
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.