As a fan for over 50 years, I’m starting to wonder if I will ever see that first Super Bowl win. I believe in K.O. as the head coach, but I think Kwesi’s drafts have been awful!! If you look at the roster, how many of the starters and key players were drafted by Rick Spielman? He had misses, too, but look at the roster and see how many core players were drafted more than four years ago under a different system vs. the past four. I hope he figures it out soon, as I just watched Bo Nix take his team to the AFC Championship, and he was drafted after J.J. And we all know about the safety he passed on that is an All-Pro with Baltimore, and Kwesi drafted one that’s out of the league.

— Dave in Rapid City, South Dakota

Everyone has hits and misses in drafting. It’s then about how much the hits can offset the misses or how quickly a miss can be stop-gapped.

There are some residual players selected with drafts led by Spielman that have continued to be important foundational players. Adofo-Mensah’s first draft class (2022) included 10 selections with five on offense and five on defense, and the results were not what anyone envisioned.

Only running back Ty Chandler and receiver Jalen Nailor remained with the team in 2025. Chandler’s fourth season was impacted adversely by a knee injury suffered in Week 1. Nailor had some nice games and a couple of down moments but showed a general growth every season where he could become a free agent sought by multiple other teams this offseason.

Switching defensive coordinators and schemes one year after the first draft was one factor, but there were others in play, including the severe leg injury Lewis Cine suffered a few games into his career. Another impact affecting playing time for more recent draft picks has been Minnesota’s success in free agency.

We’ve seen some of Spielman’s later-round picks develop (Joshua Metellus and Blake Brandel come to mind) and be re-signed by the current administration. We’ve also seen the current administration mine the undrafted free agent market for a difference maker like Myles Price.

Nix definitely made some plays, particularly key ones near the end of the Divisional Round game against Buffalo, but it is worth noting the Broncos ranked No. 3 in points against and No. 2 in yards allowed this season. Yes, I do know that Minnesota finished No. 7 and No. 3 in those categories.

Ideally the expected general continuity of coaching staff with Flores in line to stay, will position Minnesota’s defense to start 2026 the way it closed 2025 (even if some personnel changes occur), and the offense can take the necessary steps forward to be a more complete team in position of making a deep postseason run.

Seattle went 10-7 in 2024, losing a tiebreaker to the Rams for the NFC West and missing the playoffs by one spot. The moves the Seahawks made this offseason elevated that team to the No. 1 seed and sent the squad to the franchise’s fourth Super Bowl appearance.