Kwesi Adofo-Mensah Could Have a Chance to Right His First Wrong as Vikings GM
When Kwesi Adofo-Mensah took over as the general manager of the Minnesota Vikings back in 2022, there was a lot of hope that he would usher in a new era of talented young players through the draft.
However, more often than not over the past four drafts, the Vikings have had a tough time bringing in players out of college. Adofo-Mensah’s first draft in 2022 is a major example of those struggles. However, this spring, the Vikings’ GM could have a chance to rectify one of the biggest wrongs of his drafting career.
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s Big Mistake
When Adofo-Mensah’s first chance to take a player in the NFL Draft came around, it was the 12th overall pick in the 2022. However, despite some talented players being on the board, the general manager decided to make a surprising move to trade that pick to a division rival, the Detroit Lions.
The trade gave the Vikings the 32nd pick, the last pick of the first round along with some additional draft capital. With that pick, Minnesota infamously took Lewis Cine, a safety out of Georgia.
Cine’s career never got off the ground in Minnesota, and part of the reason for that was due to a compound fracture he suffered in his leg during his rookie season. Ultimately, Cine would play just 10 games for the Vikings, and he was waived prior to his third NFL season.
The pick ended in disaster, not only because Cine’s career in Minnesota didn’t work out (nor did names like Andrew Booth, Ed Ingram, or Brian Asamoah), but because a player at the safety position, who was available with the 12th overall pick, did turn into a star. That player is Kyle Hamilton, who the Ravens selected with the 14th overall pick.
Since joining Baltimore, Hamilton has been named to the Pro Bowl in two of his first three seasons and was a first-team All-Pro in 2023, and he’s turning in another strong season in 2025.
Kwesi’s Chance at Redemption
This spring, another ultra-talented safety seems destined to head to the NFL. The Ohio State Buckeyes feature one of the best defenses in all of college football this season, and a big reason for that is the presence of safety Caleb Downs.
Downs, a junior who just turned 21 years old, may be a very young player, but he has loads of experience thanks to the talent that has allowed him to burst onto the scene. He began his collegiate career at Alabama in 2023 where he immediately became a starter on the Crimson Tide defense as a true freshman, a very rare feat.
Since then, Downs has started 43 games in college, and he has been a player who can do just about anything on defense. He can play a traditional free safety spot, he can step in as a slot corner, or he can go into the box and provide pressure on an opponent’s running game or quarterback.
It’s a very similar billing to Hamilton’s coming out of college. Hamilton spent three seasons at Notre Dame, instantly becoming a starter, and he was big enough and fast enough to play just about anywhere on the field.
Downs very well could end up being a top 10 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft (assuming he declares), but there are also enough quarterbacks and quarterback-needy teams that he could tumble a bit as Hamilton did during the 2022 draft.
As of now, the Vikings have a pretty dire need in their secondary. They currently only have Byron Murphy and Isaiah Rodgers under contract at the cornerback position while Harrison Smith is likely to retire, marking the second straight offseason that the Vikings will have lost a starter at the safety position.
If Downs were to tumble a bit further down the board than his talent would suggest he should go, the Vikings should take a chance to pounce, and Adofo-Mensah has a chance to rectify one of his very first mistakes.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Focus and Sports Reference CFB helped with this article.
You must be logged in to post a comment.