Safety First? No. The Vikings Should Avoid That.
Yes, the title was a lame play on words for the Minnesota Vikings skipping the safety position on defense in Round 1 of Thursday’s draft.
Safety First? No. The Vikings Should Avoid That.
Minnesota has no major roster holes, and the team has an opportunity to use the “best player available” strategy in this draft — their first time for this path in eons. And many mock draft heads believe general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah will draft a safety, probably Georgia’s Malaki Starks or South Carolina’s Nick Emmanwori.
But here’s why the Vikings should say no to safety first.
Safety Is Not a Premium Position
Quarterback, EDGE rusher, cornerback, offensive tackle, and, to an extent, wide receiver — those are the spots on an NFL roster that teams absolutely cannot ignore. If they do, they will not be considered Super Bowl contenders and will likely check in with a record of 8-9 or worse.
There’s a reason safeties don’t dominate Round 1 of mock drafts. They’re not premium assets. Safeties are important, but they’re not quite like pass rushers or cornerbacks.
Do you really want Minnesota to select a player from a non-premium position when they have the luxury to do whatever they want in a draft for the first time in years?
Vikings Have 3 Starting Safeties and 2 for Long Haul
Minnesota has three safeties on tap to start in 2025: Harrison Smith, Josh Metellus, and Theo Jackson. After the 2025 campaign, because of Smith’s age, that list will (probably) narrow to Metellus and Jackson.
But when did it become mandatory for a franchise to have three starting safeties at all times? Usually when scouting a team’s depth chart, the onlooker ensures that two are present and moves on.
For some reason, perhaps because of Brian Flores‘ system, Minnesota is maybe the only team required to have three safeties. Two typically do the trick, and Minnesota has two beyond 2025 in Metellus and Jackson.
Free Agent Safeties Can Be Signed at Any Time
During an offseason, summer, or regular season, decent safeties always live on the free-agent wire. It’s just the way it is.
Pull up any batch of NFL free agents, such as this one, and safeties can be signed outright. For example, these men are available right now:
- Justin Simmons
- Julian Blackmon
- Jordan Whitehead
- Marcus Williams
- Rayshawn Jenkins
- Jordan Poyer
Because Minnesota already has three starting safeties, selecting a Round 1 option isn’t mandatory, particularly because veteran safeties always await phone calls.
Bad Lewis Cine Memories
Some might consider this lazy logic, but wouldn’t drafting Malaki Starks, a safety from Georgia, invoke Lewis Cine dread? Adofo-Mensah drafted Cine (of Georgia) three years ago, and he did not pan out in Minnesota. In hindsight, the pick was horrendous.
This general manager and scouting department already bungled the Round 1 safety assignment; try something different to avoid the same mistake.
Good Safeties Can Be Found from Rounds 3-7
Since 2010, these safeties have been chosen in Round 3 or later:
- Keith Byard
- Camryn Bynum
- Kam Chancellor
- Kamren Curl
- Micah Hyde
- Kerby Joseph
- Julian Love
- Tyrann Mathieu
- Josh Metellus
- Jordan Poyer
- Justin Reid
- Justin Simmons
- Xavier Woods
And those are just a handful of examples. The takeaway? Unlike many positions, general managers can wait until middle or later rounds to find productive safeties.
Build Trenches Instead
The Vikings and 30 other teams watched as the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl because of dazzling offensive and defensive trenches. Adofo-Mensah even told reporters at the NFL Combine that his team has to effectuate a pass rush with just four defenders upfront.
The young executive has used the entire offseason to enhance his trenches, signing offensive linemen Will Fries and Ryan Kelly, along with defensive tackles Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave.
He should continue that trend — like the Eagles — using his “BPA draft” on the trenches, not non-premium commodities like safeties.
Give Theo Jackson a Real Chance
If Adofo-Mensah nabs Starks or Emmanwori at pick No. 24, the Jackson era at safety will have lasted about six weeks.
That’s a bit unfair.
The Vikings’ front office and coaching staff have hyped Jackson to the utmost, a reserve asset on the brink of finally getting his one big chance. This is how teams should construct rosters — cultivating talent in the shadows and promoting such players when men like Camryn Bynum chase fat contracts in Indianapolis.
Jackson deserves a season to show his stuff. Starks or Emmanwori could cancel the plan.
When Was the Last Time a Team “Rode a Safety” to the Super Bowl?
Similar to the “premium asset” argument but perhaps with more teeth, can you remember a safety so vital in the last decade that a Super Bowl club rode his coattails to the Promised Land?
No, not really.
That’s not really a thing, and as Minnesota holds this first-of-its-kind opportunity in years, drafting the best player available on the board, grabbing a safety feels counterintuitive for a team hoping to win a Super Bowl for the first time in 64 years.
Vikings Can Be Greedy … So Why a Safety?
Fans have been excitedly rubbing their palms together since mid-March while thinking about the Vikings’ draft pick. Minnesota can draft a defensive tackle, an offensive guard, a cornerback, or even a running back or tight end.
A safety would inspire a shoulder shrug, the aforementioned Cine parallels, and a general “I guess …” attitude. If this is the first time Minnesota can be greedy during a draft in years or decades, get rich at a roster spot that is more important than safety.
Don’t Forget Jay Ward
Adofo-Mensah drafted Jay Ward from LSU less than two years ago. He’s a Round 4 guy who deserves a fair audition at playing time.
He’s never remotely mentioned when pondering a Starks of Emmanwori draft pick. But he should be.
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