The Minnesota Vikings hired GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah prior to the start of the 2022 league year, and since then he’s made some masterful moves.
The decision this offseason to move on from Kirk Cousins and pivot to Sam Darnold on a one-year, bridge deal? It looks brilliant as we stand today, with the Vikings sitting tied atop the NFC standings at 12-2 entering Week 16, and Cousins getting benched by the Atlanta Falcons after signing a $180 million free agent contract this past March.
Adofo-Mensah has shown shrewd judgement and timing in both free agency and the trade deadline, landing key starters like T.J. Hockenson, Andrew Van Ginkel and Blake Cashman, and uncovering hidden gems like Ivan Pace Jr. and Jalen Redmond.
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His draft history, though, is a completely different story, with one 400-foot homer — selecting Jordan Addison No. 23 overall in 2023 — saving him from a complete disaster. NFL writer Bill Barnwell of ESPN recently pegged Minnesota’s 2022 draft class, Adofo-Mensah’s first on the job, as the team’s worst mistake of the past five seasons:
It's too early to judge the major investments general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah made in quarterback J.J. McCarthy and edge rusher Dallas Turner atop the 2024 draft, but it's fair to say he didn't fare well in his debut draft. Though he has done excellent work in free agency and found a talented wideout (Jordan Addison) in the first round of the 2023 draft, it's difficult to get less than what the Vikings landed out of their top picks in 2022. — Bill Barnwell, ESPN
The Vikings made 10 selections in that 2022 draft, the headliner coming at the end of Round 1.
Adofo-Mensah traded back with the NFC North rival Detroit Lions from pick No. 12 overall to select safety Lewis Cine of the Georgia Bulldogs. Cine suffered a season-ending leg injury during his rookie season and was never able to crack the starting lineup in 2023. He was released on roster cut-down day this past August. Compounding that blunder is the Lions landing ascending wide receiver Jameson Williams, and the Baltimore Ravens selecting perennial Pro Bowl safety Kyle Hamilton just two picks later.
The only players left from Minnesota’s 2022 draft class are Ed Ingram (benched), Brian Asamoah (special teamer), Ty Chandler (third-string RB), Jalen Nailor (WR3) and Nick Muse (practice squad). At this point, only Nailor, a sixth-round pick with 19 receptions and five touchdowns, has made a significant impact this season.
Adofo-Mensah was uber-aggressive in the 2024 draft, trading up twice in the first round for both J.J. McCarthy and Dallas Turner. Unless Turner sees a significant boost in playing time in the postseason, we’ll have to wait until 2025 and beyond to start judging those decisions. The Vikings will feel the brunt of them this April, though, with just four total projected picks, and none in the second, fourth, sixth and seventh rounds.
The Vikings do appear to have a good thing going with Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O’Connell. Their decision to hire Brian Flores as defensive coordinator was a game-changer, and they now have a pair of 12-win seasons in three years.
But if Adofo-Mensah doesn’t stick around in Minnesota beyond his reported four-year contract signed in January of 2022, repeated failures to build through the draft will be the main reason, starting with his brutal initial rookie class.
