It’s draft week! As the hours slowly fade away, ownership, general managers, and coaches are finalizing their big boards and trying to play fortune teller so they can make the ideal selection for their teams.
For some, this process is just part of their tenure as general manager.
For others, it’s more like a job interview or performance evaluation. Fans scrutinize every pick, sort through every trade with a fine-toothed comb, and re-evaluate past selections.
In Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s case, the 2025 draft can alter his time in Minnesota.
The Minnesota Vikings hired Adofo-Mensah at the same time as Kevin O’Connell. However, they’ve re-signed O’Connell, while Adofo-Mensah is only under contract for this year.
In a “what have you done for me lately” league, Adofo-Mensah has struggled to maximize his draft picks, even though he has also made critical and efficient moves during the offseason.
Adofo-Mensah got nearly nothing from his first draft. Four of the 10 selections are still on the team, none as every-down starters. However, last year, Lewis Cine and Nick Muse got a ring with the Philadelphia Eagles.
In 2023, he added Jordan Addison in the first round, who remains underrated. Beyond that, few of the picks have played much, either because they’ve suffered injuries or the Vikings have used them as reserves.
Last year’s Vikings draft class has yet to make an impact. Still, it’s too early to evaluate it thoroughly.
Will Reichard looked like a reliable kicker before he got hurt. However, injuries and lack of time on the field seem commonplace for Minnesota’s draft picks, especially when we dig deeper into first-round selections.
In 2022, the Vikings traded down 20 spots, from 12 to 32, to pick safety Lewis Cine. However, Cine ended his rookie season without playing a snap at safety. During Week 4 in London, he suffered a compound fracture in his leg while blocking on a punt return.
The Vikings paired Addison with Justin Jefferson in 2023, successfully creating mismatches for defenses. Addison is Adofo-Mensah’s only successful first-round pick, and the only first-rounder he hadn’t traded before making his selection.
Last year, the Vikings traded up twice in the first round.
The Vikings chose J.J. McCarthy after trading up one spot with the New York Jets. McCarthy was expected to become the starter at some point during the season until he tore his meniscus before the regular season, ultimately postponing the start of his professional career until this year.
The Vikings moved up six spots in the first round later in the draft to grab Dallas Turner. This trade has yet to be completed because they gave the Jacksonville Jaguars a third- and a fourth-round pick in this year’s draft as part of the move to acquire Turner.
Turner played in 16 games but never got a start, backing up Andrew Van Ginkel, Blake Cashman, and Jonathan Greenard, who spearheaded Brian Flores’ defense.
Adofo-Mensah and the Vikings brought all three in during the 2024 off-season, successfully showcasing Kwesi’s ability to attract talent.
In the leadup to the 2025 draft, the Vikings have four picks, the fewest of any team.
We’ll see what Adofo-Mensah can do with that talent in the coming days as he tries to put together “the coolest story ever” with the limited draft capital.
The NFL is a business. Come performance review time, Kwesi’s ability to draft could be why they haven’t re-signed him.
After failing to add talent in the 2022 draft, Adofo-Mensah has arguably been trying to dig himself out of the hole he dug for himself. The shadow of that draft looms large, and fans have more heavily scrutinized every pick since.
For the current GM, the 2025 draft is make-or-break and could alter his future with the Minnesota Vikings.
