ESPN Trashes Vikings’ Draft Pick
As the adage goes, “You can’t please ’em all.”
ESPN Trashes Vikings’ Draft Pick
That’s the case for the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday night, regarding their 1st-Round pick Donovan Jackson, a massive guard from Ohio State, the team that won the National Championship three months ago.
Most purple fans and national pundits applauded the selection, but at least one holdout used X, formerly known as Twitter, to bash Minnesota for the pick.
Seth Walder of ESPN provided the criticism and was rather blunt about it.
Seth Walder Skewers Minnesota for Donovan Jackson Selection
Minnesota did not trade back in Round 1, a method many predicted general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah to implement because of so few picks. He had four entering the event, and trading back from No. 24 would’ve allowed him to stockpile a couple more.
Walder, an ESPN analyst, was not impressed.
He tweeted, “Three ways to lose at the NFL Draft: 1) Reach for players before they are likely to be selected. 2) Draft low value positions early. 3) Trade up and/or fail to trade down. Anyway just thinking about the Vikings.”
Most draft boards ranked Jackson somewhere in Round 2, while teams’ pecking orders disagreed, as some credible reporting suggested that the Houston Texans would take Jackson right after Minnesota’s selection. Houston later traded out of Round 1 altogether.
On “low-value” positions, some — like Walder — habitually argue that guards should be scooped from Round 2 or later. Investing Round 1 capital in interior offensive linemen is frowned upon by the analytics community.
And on his third beef, Adofo-Mensah traded up last year for Dallas Turner, a highly-touted outside linebacker from Alabama. Walder evidently didn’t like that, and bellyached even more about the young executive not trading down this go-round to regain extra picks.
Again — can’t please ’em all.
Others Disagree with Walder’s Indictment
Conversely, Walder’s coworker, ESPN’s Field Yates, vehemently disagreed with the assessment.
Yates tweeted, “Donovan Jackson to the Vikings just might be my favorite pick of the night. By the end of this past season, he had put on elite tape at both guard AND left tackle. An extremely dependable, selfless player. He’s tough, rugged and athletic. Excellent football player.”
Pioneer Press‘ Dane Mitzutani posted on X: “Something that stood out about Donovan Jackson listening to Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O’Connell. They talked about the selflessness that Jackson displayed last season when he moved from left guard to left tackle. A team player who should fit well with the Vikings culture.”
NFL analyst Jon Ledyard on Jackson to Minnesota: “Donovan Jackson the best guard in the class. I love this pick for the Vikings. They got so serious about fixing the interior OL and I think they nailed it this offseason.”
CBS Sports‘ Chris Trapasso gave the selection an “A” grade and explained, “Best ‘pure’ offensive guard in the class. Size, length, mobility, power, balance, awareness. Hard to find technical/athletic flaw to his profile. Could add more power. Minnesota’s offensive front is scary good. Love this. Grade: A.”
And former quarterback Chris Simms: “Damn the Vikings building a fun o-line.”
Not everybody shared Walder’s disdain.
Walder’s Previous Blemish Regarding MIN
Walder has a pimply track record with projecting Minnesota’s future dealings. He actually forecasted the purple team to finish 4-13 last season and obtain the first overall pick.
He wrote last September: “The Vikings stumble to the No. 1 overall pick. There was hope, back in the halcyon days of September, that quarterback Sam Darnold would finally figure it out after spending the 2023 season with Kyle Shanahan before playing in Kevin O’Connell’s scheme in 2024. How naïve we were. Darnold did not, in fact, figure it out. The Minnesota Vikings’ offense crumbled while the rest of the league came up with adjustments to defensive coordinator Brian Flores’ relentless blitzes.”
“The result? A paltry four-win season. But with the losing came hope in the form of the No. 1 overall pick. With their quarterback already in hand — J.J. McCarthy is the QB of the future here, despite his right meniscus tear — the Vikings enter the offseason in position to deal the No. 1 pick to a QB-needy team for a series of selections that will bolster the roster for an immediate turnaround. The present is bleak in Minnesota, but the future is bright.”
Walder’s prognostication turned out to be outlandishly false. Minnesota finished the season with a 14-3 record.
Resisting the Temptation to Trade Back
Quite easily, Adofo-Mensah could’ve traded back in Round 1, as teams began feverishly trading after Minnesota’s pick.
But perhaps recalling his grave 2022 sins — wheeling and dealing down the board for Lewis Cine and Andrew Booth — Adofo-Mensah stood pat, even if naysayers like Walder might emerge from a national perspective.
In short, Adofo-Mensah got his man.
Minnesota to Showcase Best OL in Years
The result? Well, do you remember those seasons of offensive line futility? Maybe the 2018-2021 campaigns could jog your memory.
Minnesota doesn’t have that problem anymore. With Christian Darrisaw, Donovan Jackson, Ryan Kelly, Will Fries, and Brian O’Neill, Kevin O’Connell and Co. will showcase the franchise’s best offensive line in decades, at least on paper.
Adofo-Mensah will pick next at No. 97 on Friday night, with two more selections thereafter in Rounds 5 and 6.
Vikings End 37-Year Drought in Draft
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