Vikings

Jeff Okudah Is Kwesi Adofo-Mensah's Latest Moneyball Gamble

Photo Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports via Imagn Images

Entering training camp, there’s been speculation about whether Jeff Okudah or Mekhi Blackmon will be the third corner on the Minnesota Vikings’ depth chart. In the early stages of camp, Okudah has received most of the work with the first-team defense. Thus, he appears to have solidified himself as the third cornerback on the depth chart above Blackmon. Not only that, but Okudah has been “very good” in practice, according to Alec Lewis.

Before Lewis published his practice report, Locked On’s Ron Johnson asked Vikings Twitter for a scorching-hot take that most of the fanbase would vehemently disagree with. When I read the comments, I felt like most of the takes were either overly positive or lukewarm at best. Meanwhile, the spirit of the question was to share an opinion that would upset people. So I devised the most hyperbolic, yet believable take I could come up with.

That hot take just so happened to be about Jeff Okudah.

My hot take aged like milk following Alec Lewis’ report. But, hyperbole aside, I do believe that the Jeff Okudah signing is Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s latest Moneyball gamble.

Kevin O’Connell and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah love their passion projects. Every year, O’Connell likes to get his hands on some toolsy, high-upside quarterback prospect. Jaren Hall, Daniel Jones, and Sam Howell are a few names that come to mind. On the other hand, Adofo-Mensah loves taking chances on failed early-round draft picks with high RAS scores – players like Ross Blacklock, Jalen Reagor, and now Okudah. The difference being that the Vikings didn’t trade for Okudah to add depth. They signed him in free agency to compete for a starting role.

By luring Okudah to Minnesota with a fully guaranteed contract, Adofo-Mensah is making a $2.35 million bet on Okudah revitalizing his career.

Perhaps the gamble isn’t so crazy. The Vikings have an elite defensive mind in Brian Flores and a bunch of talent in their front seven, which will make life easier for a cornerback who has yet to find his footing in the NFL. Still, the Okudah signing gives me flashbacks of Kwesi going against the grain and drafting Akayleb Evans because of his personality and athleticism, completely ignoring the general consensus because he liked that player.

Was this signing rooted in objectivity? We’ll never know.

We know that Okudah dealt with a slew of injuries early in his career. During his inaugural training camp, he suffered a hamstring injury that forced him to miss the Detroit Lions’ season opener against the Chicago Bears. In Week 11, the Lions placed Okudah on injured reserve after suffering a groin strain. A ruptured Achilles tendon in Detroit’s season opener against the San Francisco 49ers cut his second year short. When he played most of the season in 2022, Okudah had a career-best 59.4 PFF grade, but that isn’t saying much.

The key to fully unlocking “Jefe” is equal parts schematic and mental. O’Connell and Flores are among the best in the league when it comes to maximizing their players’ talent. They’ve shown the ability to instill confidence into guys who had slow starts to their careers. Adofo-Mensah’s gamble on Okudah is similar to Sam Darnold, another former third-overall pick who bounced around the league and was written off as a bust before his career year in Minnesota.

Darnold was able to succeed in the Vikings offense because they put him under center and spammed play-action passes behind an elite offensive line for the first half of the season. Once Christian Darrisaw’s injury forced O’Connell to deviate from that due to poor pass blocking, Darnold was significantly worse. I think Okudah is in a similar situation.

Flores should keep Okudah in the same role that Mike Zimmer reserved for Cameron Dantzler. Use Okudah as a boundary corner who primarily plays press-man covering the third-best receiver on the field, and nothing more. Expecting Okudah to be a versatile chess piece who can play on any side of the field, regardless of the situation, would be setting him up for failure. If Flores deploys Okudah wisely and can keep his confidence high, the Vikings could have a solid press-man corner on their hands.

Still, signing Jeff Okudah is a gamble. For every Sam Darnold success story, there are significantly more players like Jerry Tillery, Dean Lowry, Ross Blacklock, and Jalen Reagor who didn’t pan out for the Vikings. That won’t stop Kwesi Adofo-Mensah from placing another bet. Still, like with any gamble, the house often wins.

Vikings
Vikings Have Shown A High Ceiling and A Worryingly Low Floor During An Uneven Preseason
By Trevor Ripley - Aug 20, 2025
Vikings
Minnesota’s D-Line Will Be Humping and Thumping Their Way To the Quarterback This Year
By Tom Schreier - Aug 20, 2025
Vikings

The Vikings Didn't Address One Glaring Need This Offseason

Photo Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports via Imagn Images

This season may be the most important of Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s tenure with the Minnesota Vikings. He and Kevin O’Connell have stuck their necks out for J.J. McCarthy, […]

Continue Reading