In the hours before free agency, the Minnesota Vikings have a lot of important decisions to make.
They have to decide on Kirk Cousins‘ future, and he could want a fully guaranteed contract worth over $50 million per season. They have to decide on Danielle Hunter, who will look to get the bag he’s been searching for the past five seasons.
Dalton Risner, Jordan Hicks, and K.J. Osborn are also free agents, and the Vikings must sign or replace them.
It’s not a desirable situation for the Vikings, but the failures of the 2022 draft class make it more difficult.
The 2022 class was Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O’Connell‘s first draft. Minnesota got four picks in the first 66 selections, but it hasn’t produced, leaving the Vikings at a roster-building disadvantage two years later.
It starts with the Lewis Cine pick. They took the former Georgia defensive back with the 32nd-overall pick. While Cine has elite athleticism, his learning curve was steeper than anticipated. He broke his leg in London during the 2022 season, which limited his chance to get on-field reps. Cine was also inactive for the season’s final month despite the Vikings using three or more safeties at times in Brian Flores’ scheme.
Many fans will tell you the Vikings should have taken Kyle Hamilton, who was available with the 12th-overall pick before Minnesota traded down 20 spots to accumulate draft capital. But the Vikings could have been better off selecting Jordan Davis, a mammoth but athletic defensive tackle, who was taken with the next pick in the draft.
Davis isn’t a complete player, but he could have solved Minnesota’s biggest problems along the defensive line. Harrison Phillips did yeoman’s work in his second season with the Vikings and led the team’s interior defenders in snaps. However, he was stretched too thin because Flores relied on Jonathan Bullard and Dean Lowry next to Phillips.
It produced a need that the Vikings may satiate in free agency with Christian Wilkins. But as one of the top pass-rushers on the market, he could come with a steep price tag. Minnesota would be wise to spend money on adding to a position that is becoming more important in the NFL. However, the Vikings could have used it on other holes on their roster.
One of those holes is at the cornerback position, where the Vikings tried to get a starting cornerback in Andrew Booth Jr. The Clemson product was also long and athletic. However, during his introductory press conference, he said he hadn’t been healthy since high school.
Booth battled a knee injury during his rookie season. He was largely healthy during his sophomore campaign. Still, he couldn’t get on the field because the Vikings relied on free-agent signing Byron Murphy Jr., 2022 fourth-round pick Akayleb Evans, and 2023 third-round pick Mekhi Blackmon.
Booth is another whiff that could leave the Vikings to overpay this spring. The Kansas City Chiefs slapped cornerback L’Jarius Sneed with the franchise tag but made him available for trade. The problem is that Sneed will likely command top cornerback money and a Day 2 pick just for the right to sign him, costing the Vikings more things they don’t have.
As you progress through the draft order, more issues become prevalent. Minnesota used their other second-round pick on Ed Ingram, who has been a below-average guard in his first two seasons. He led the NFL with 63 pressures allowed during his rookie season, but he cut it down to 42 last year. Still, he ranks sixth among guards, according to Pro Football Focus.
Ingram’s starting job doesn’t appear to be in danger, but they didn’t get great value, which could cost the Vikings money. Risner was impressive after signing with Minnesota early last season, but he could command a hefty contract as he hits free agency. The Vikings might release Garrett Bradbury, which means they’d need a new center, leaving one of their biggest weaknesses unresolved.
The Vikings took Brian Asamoah with the 66th-overall pick, which they got in the trade down with the Detroit Lions. Asamoah looked impressive during his rookie year. But while he looked faster than Eric Kendricks and Jordan Hicks, he also hadn’t locked in on a consistent playstyle that could help him get on the field.
UDFA Ivan Pace saw the opening during last year’s training camp and played his way to a prominent role with the Vikings while Asamoah was on the sideline. Hicks is a free agent, so there’s a real path to Minnesota paying up to keep him around or heading to free agency to add a veteran option.
The rest of the draft class has the standard hits and misses you see on Day 3. Evans has been a solid player but also lacks consistency, which led the Vikings to bench him late in the season occasionally. Like with Booth, Evans’ issues could lead Minnesota to sign a cornerback in free agency.
Ty Chandler emerged to get a prominent role late in 2023. But it came after DeWayne McBride didn’t pan out as a seventh-round pick from last year’s draft, Alexander Mattison fumbled an opportunity to be a lead back, and Cam Akers tore his Achilles. While The Athletic’s Alec Lewis said the Vikings will feature Chandler prominently next year, the Vikings could also dive into free agency and sign a veteran complement.
Finally, the Vikings took Jalen Nailor as a sixth-round pick who looked like a complementary speedster out of Michigan State. After they used him sparingly in his rookie year, Nailor battled an injury during training camp and took a back seat to Osborn and Brandon Powell.
With Osborn and Powell heading toward free agency, Nailor could have become the No. 3 receiver. But Nailor has yet to prove himself, leading the Vito to either overpay to keep Osborn, bring back Powell, or use another draft pick on a receiver.
The rest of the draft class has become footnotes. The Vikings traded Vederian Lowe to the New England Patriots before the start of last season. They released Esezi Otomewo in training camp. Minnesota re-signed Nick Muse earlier this month, but he hasn’t carved out a meaningful role.
These picks add up to an underwhelming draft class that creates a ripple effect this spring. With so many holes to fill, the Vikings have to decide whether to keep what they have in Cousins and Hunter or go wild in free agency in their quest to make “the tournament” in 2024.
Even if the Vikings are willing to pay up, there’s no guarantee their key free agents will stick around. In Cousins’ case, the Atlanta Falcons are loaded with a solid defense, offensive line, and elite playmakers in a division that is there for the taking.
Hunter could also see the lack of playmakers on defense and go get the largest bag possible from contenders like the Chicago Bears and Jacksonville Jaguars. Does this mean a doomsday scenario for the Vikings? Probably not. However, the failures of the 2022 draft class have made a challenging offseason that more difficult.
