The Current State of Affairs for Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s Draft Picks
This week, the first of Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s 2025 draft picks left the building. Not even at the halfway point of the season, the Vikings decided to let linebacker Kobe King hit waivers following the loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, where he was promptly picked up by the New York Jets.
VikingsTerritory looks at the current state of affairs for Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s Vikings draft picks.
King was only a sixth-round pick, so the fact he hasn’t worked out shouldn’t raise any major alarm bells by itself. However, Adofo-Mensah’s track record on the draft continues to come under major scrutiny. A rookie being allowed to leave so early is another black mark on the Vikings’ general manager’s draft record. The area he has clearly struggled to adapt to the most since taking on the role.
An Examination of Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s Draft Hauls
The lack of players from Adofo-Mensah’s rookie classes claiming and maintaining an important role on the team is an obvious problem. It leads to scouring free agency and to adding expensive, sometimes aging players to the roster. Before criticizing the GM too harshly, I want to review each of his drafts and assess the current state of affairs for each draft and the players selected.
*Players still with the team are highlighted in bold
The 2022 Draft
Round 1 – Pick 32: Lewis Cine (S)
Round 2 – Pick 42: Andrew Booth (CB)
Round 2 – Pick 59: Ed Ingram (G)
Round 3 – Pick 66: Brian Asamoah (LB)
Round 4 – Pick 118: Akayleb Evans (CB)
Round 5 – Pick 166: Esezi Otomewo (DE)
Round 5 – Pick 169: Ty Chandler (RB)
Round 6 – Pick 184: Vederian Lowe (OT)
Round 6 – Pick 191: Jalen Nailor (WR)
Round 7 – Pick 227: Nick Muse (TE)
I wrote about the 2022 draft last year, and it wasn’t in great shape then. It’s even worse now, with Jalen Nailor the only player currently left on the active roster. Ty Chandler is on Injured Reserve. Nailor’s speed has made him a good deep threat option for the Vikings, and he has impressed enough this season to take the WR3 place ahead of the returning Adam Thielen.
The rest has been an unmitigated disaster. The tone was set when Adofo-Mensah passed up on Kyle Hamilton – already an All-Pro safety – and took Lewis Cine instead. Minnesota had four selections in the top 66 picks, and none of them worked out.
Ed Ingram and Akayleb Evans both have spells as starters, but we’re deemed not good enough. Ingram moved to the Houston Texans this season, where he is currently performing as one of the best guards in the league. Adofo-Mensah stacked picks in his first draft but ended up with very little to show for it.
The 2023 Draft
Round 1 – Pick 23: Jordan Addison (WR)
Round 3 – Pick 102: Mekhi Blackmon (CB)
Round 4 – Pick 134: Jay Ward (S)
Round 5 – Pick 141: Jaquelin Roy (DT)
Round 5 – Pick 164: Jaren Hall (QB)
Round 7 – Pick 222: DeWayne McBride (RB)
Adofo-Mensah selected only six players in his second draft, signaling a change in approach. The second-round pick was given away during the 2022 season to acquire TJ Hockenson. The draft has the GMs’ only big success story to date, with Jordan Addison chosen in the first round to partner with Justin Jefferson as a formidable WR duo. Addison has proved his skills as a route runner and pass catcher through the first 2.5 seasons of his career. His only downside has been off-field misdemeanors.
From the rest of the event, only Jay Ward remains in Minnesota as a depth player at safety and a core special teamer. Mekhi Blackmon showed fleeting glimpses of promise in his rookie season, but injury slowed that.
An impromptu opportunity for Jaren Hall proved too much too soon, and we saw very little from the other two members of the draft class. Addison saves this one from being another dud, especially with Hockenson not having the same impact on the team since his injury late in the 2023 season.
The 2024 Draft
Round 1 – Pick 10: JJ McCarthy (QB)
Round 1 – Pick 17: Dallas Turner (DE)
Round 4 – Pick 108: Khyree Jackson (CB)
Round 6 – Pick 177: Walter Rouse (OT)
Round 6 – Pick 203: Will Reichard (K)
Round 7 – Pick 230: Michael Jurgens (C)
Round 7 – Pick 233: Levi Drake Rodriguez (DT)
We are still giving it some time territory for the 2024 draft, but it’s fair to say the impact hasn’t been as immediate as we might have hoped. The good news is everyone is still on the roster, barring the tragic circumstances with Khyree Jackson.
J.J. McCarthy should return to the Vikings lineup this week for just his third game since being drafted, and we might finally get answers to whether he is the future at QB for the team. Fellow first-round pick, Dallas Turner, has seen increased playing time this season thanks to an injury to Andrew Van Ginkel. While there have been glimpses of a good player, it has not been consistent enough. There’s a lot more development needed.
The star of the draft class so far has been the kicker —not really what you want — but Will Reichard has proved a good addition. Showing good consistency and a long leg capable of hitting field goals from 60+ yards.
It’s early days for the late round picks, but Levi Drake Rodriguez is showing promise at the defensive tackle position. Michael Jurgens missed his chance for a run as the starting center during Ryan Kelly’s absence due to his own injury problems. Walter Rouse has his first snaps on the OL this year, with all the injury woes the Vikings have had.
The 2025 Draft
Round 1 – Pick 24: Donovan Jackson (G)
Round 3 – Pick 102: Tai Felton (WR)
Round 5 – Pick 139: Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins (DT)
Round 6 – Pick 201: Kobe King (LB)
Round 6 – Pick 202: Gavin Batholomew (TE)
The 2025 draft saw the smallest draft class so far under Adofo-Mensah – a knock on from trading for the two first-rounders in 2024 – with just five selections made. As previously mentioned, one has already left the building, so we are already down to just four. Donovan Jackson had a promising debut against the Bears in Week 1, but a wrist injury that required surgery saw him miss a couple of games.
It’s been a tough start for the rookie, who’s seen the man standing on either side of him continually changing. A run of consistency with personnel on the OL should help Jackson settle in and deliver more performances like we saw in Week 1.
Tai Felton has lived mostly on special teams with one catch to his name so far. He needs to look no further than his teammate, Nailor, for inspiration on earning your way up the depth chart. Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins has shown some early flashes, including a first sack of his career against Cleveland in Week 5. The Vikings will hope he can build on that. Gavin Bartholomew was put on the PUP list before the season started and has yet to see the field.
Conclusion
Adofo-Mensah has drafted 28 players so far, and 14 are still with the team—exactly half have already gone. Only Addison can be deemed a genuine success at this point, with Nailor good value for a sixth-round pick. McCarthy, Turner (while Van Ginkel is injured), and Jackson are the only other starters. Whether they will be determined a success is still up in the air.
The success of McCarthy will go a long way to deciding how Adofo-Mensah is judged. Finding the franchise QB is the holy grail and will compensate for some of the other misses.
If McCarthy is a flop, there’s not enough good elsewhere to make up for that mistake, and the Vikings GM will be under pressure and rightly so. His first two drafts weren’t good enough, and he needs more to come from the second two than we are currently seeing. There is still time. A McCarthy-led revival this season is what he needs for job security.
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