Preseason can be an exciting time for football fans. Sure, the outcomes don’t matter and the final game is littered with backups, but it’s an opportunity to see which rookies can make an immediate impact on your team.
Saturday was a day that belonged to rookies across the league. Justin Fields, Trey Lance, and Zach Wilson all gave their fanbases optimism. Even in Minneapolis, Javonte Williams buried the Minnesota Vikings’ defense in his bid to become the Denver Broncos starting running back.
But as the Vikings slogged through a 33-6 defeat, there weren’t many big moments for a 2021 draft class that seems to be filled with more projects than contributors.
It all starts with the Vikings’ first-round pick, Christian Darrisaw, who hasn’t seen the field much during training camp thanks to a groin injury. After undergoing his second core muscle surgery this week, nobody knows when he’ll be back, making it more likely he won’t make an impact until 2022.
The same goes for Wyatt Davis, who also can’t get on the field. Davis’ situation is different in that it’s not an injury holding him back. Davis entered Saturday’s game behind Dakota Dozier, one of PFF’s worst offensive guards last season. After Dozier allowed two pressures and two penalties, Davis did his best imitation, allowing a sack to Shamar Stephen.
The Vikings drafted Davis to be their starting right guard, but it appears he’ll need more development than expected and could be another player who is not ready until next season.
The same goes for Ihmir Smith-Marsette, who was competing for the third receiver job. On Saturday, he followed up a week in which he was praised in camp after dropping a pass, running a two-yard route on a 4th-and-5, and slipping on a kickoff return. Although the Vikings have Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen ahead of him, it appears he also will struggle to contribute this season and has been passed by K.J. Osborn.
Camryn Bynum also showed up in a bad way. A miscommunication in coverage led to an 80-yard touchdown from pass Drew Lock to K.J. Hamler. Again, the Vikings weren’t expecting Bynum to seize a starting safety spot, but he’s another player who may not contribute this season.
Then there was Kellen Mond’s debut, where he looked to log reps after missing most of training camp with COVID. The Vikings were not counting on Mond this season, but his performance (6-for-16, 53 yards) wasn’t on the same level as his draft class counterparts.
While Lance was slinging an 80-yard touchdown and Fields said NFL defenses were “too slow,” Mond looked robotic in the pocket as he tried to acclimate himself to his new surroundings.
The rest of the Vikings’ draft class seems to be missing in action. Chazz Surratt played 65% of the snaps on Sunday and wound up with three tackles. Kene Nwangwu suffered a knee injury on the opening kickoff, and Zach Davidson dropped a potential touchdown from Jake Browning. Once again, see you in 2022.
It is not a prerequisite for a good team to have rookie contributors, but having them goes a long way. If a first-stringer gets injured, the Vikings will have to rely on some of these players sooner than expected. Last year, we saw how important depth was when several backups were thrown into the fire during a 7-9 season.
All of this points to a draft class that was run more like an NBA Draft. While some of these picks could eventually develop into good players, the Vikings need depth now. With jobs on the line, it’s a dangerous tightrope for them to be walking.
