Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images
There was never a world in which Kevin O’Connell was going to be fired following the Minnesota Vikings disappointing 9-8 season. The same can’t be said for general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.
For now he remains in his post, but it would be impossible to suggest that he is not on thin ice. Minnesota spent a boatload of money this offseason only to miss the playoffs. That outlay was largely a byproduct of bad drafting that led to poor internal depth.
When looking back at the most recent class, it doesn’t get any rosier for Adofo-Mensah or Minnesota.
Another draft failure for the Vikings
This offseason the Minnesota Vikings spent handsomely on their offensive line. They needed to beef up the protection for whoever was going to be under center. That included a first round draft pick used on Donovan Jackson. Unfortunately that’s about the only place NFL insider Aaron Schatz (ESPN) saw Minnesota getting right.
Much like the Colts, almost all the rookie value for the Vikings came from a single first-round pick. Minnesota took guard Donovan Jackson with the No. 24 selection, and he was a quality starter for most of the season. Jackson finished with a 92.6% pass block win rate (average for guards) and a 76.9% run block win rate (well above average).
And then … that’s about it. Undrafted free agent quarterback Max Brosmer was terrible when forced into action (14.0 QBR), and any other rookies had very minor impacts. This is Minnesota’s second straight year at or near the bottom of this list.
That’s a harsh assessment, especially when considering Schatz placed the group 30th of 32 teams. It’s hard to argue he’s wrong though. Jackson was fine opposite free agent guard Will Fries. The rest of the group did nothing though.
Sixth round pick Kobe King isn’t even in the organization anymore. Fellow sixth round pick Gavin Bartholomew was injured and never played.
There was never a removal of the guardrails for third round wide receiver Tai Felton. Over the course of the full season, Felton was targeted just three times (catching all of them). His 46 snaps represented just 5% of the total output.
Fifth round pick Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins played in 14 games, but had just 12 tackles on the defensive line. He did get his first career sack, but there was hardly anything to write home about.
Adofo-Mensah’s inability to hit in the draft has left the Minnesota Vikings in a spot where they need to pay for talent. The idea that a rookie contract at quarterback is always alluring, but J.J. McCarthy has all but flopped in that regard too.
Minnesota certainly wants to run things back next year and look to make a run. They have plenty of cap hurdles this offseason though, and the franchise can’t continue to add meaningless young talent.
Mentioned in this article: Donovan Jackson
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