This story is an entry into The Daily Norseman's contest for joining the writing staff.
Vikings fans have been down on Kwesi since the 2022 draft and while we know it was a disaster, his work in free agency and with the cap have been excellent and his drafts after 2022 have had some good hits. I want to take a moment this offseason to look at Kwesi's first few drafts and take a look at 2022 and the circumstances behind the 1st draft. The first thing to remember before we get into this discussion is that 2022 will not define Kwesi's time in Minnesota. The only draft pick that will matter in the end is JJ McCarthy. Should he turn into a top 5 QB or manages the holy grail of bringing a Lombardi trophy to Minnesota Kwesi will be lauded for drafting him. Should he flame out Kwesi and quite possibly KOC will be gone. Its also important to note that after extending KOC the Vikings have reportedly been working on an extension for Kwesi. We also know from Kevin Seifert that the structure of the organization isn't changing but KOC got more control over the roster in 2023.
The Departure of Rick and Zim and the Hiring of KAM and KOC:
The 2022 draft did not take place in a vacuum and was influenced by what had occurred in the last 2 years of Mike Zimmer and Rick Spielman. After winning 13 games in 2017 and the Vikings once a decade trip to the NFC Championship game the Vikings went into win now mode. Signing Kirk Cousins and making moves to try and take advantage of a Superbowl window. Signing Kirk was the start of tension between Zim and Rick. By 2021 they were no longer talking and the Vikings were dealing with an aging roster that was top heavy and a lot of cap problems. Reports at the end of the season initially indicated the Vikings would keep Rick in some capacity but after speaking with Zim Rick was also released. Other reports coming out of TCO indicated that Rick had started ignoring scouts for draft picks.
This last summer Zimmer gave an interview to the Star Tribune and indicated that Rick drafted several guys in 2021 that Zimmer and the coaching staff felt were not worth even a 7th round pick. We know about Zim's feelings on Kellen Mond but the 3rd round of 2021 was particularly bad. We also know the Wilfs definitely appreciated Rick's football knowledge but after everything they decided to move on. They ended up hiring Kwesi who had worked in the 49ers and Browns front office in football management positions. Kwesi worked under Baalke and cap specialist Paraag Marathe in Frisco before being promoted by John Lynch to director of football research and development. He later was hired as VP of football operations by the Browns.
The Wilfs went a different direction in hiring Kwesi than they had with Rick. Rick had been a scout before working up and was very much a football guy. Kwesi had been more on the cap and roster management side and after hiring KOC they stressed that they wanted the front office and coaching staff to work together on the roster. It felt like they wanted someone less likely to ignore scouts to follow his intuition which had been a problem in Rick's later years. Now coming in with only 3 months before the draft and the old scouting department still in place Kwesi and KOC had their hands full trying to figure out everything before the draft. They also had to balance trying to begin building the roster in their image while staying competitive since the Wilfs were not interested in blowing everything up.
The 2020 and 2021 Draft and state of the Roster:
The last 2 drafts Rick ran had a big influence on the Vikings roster and on what the Vikings could do in 2022. There were holes that had to be filled and the Vikings had some issues finding talent in the later rounds. We are going to look at both drafts and see who Rick hit on and missed.
The 2020 draft had some good hits in the first couple rounds. Obviously, Jefferson turned into the best WR in the NFL and Jeff Gladney was released and later died tragically in a car accident. Jefferson alone was worth the entire class. Cleveland was a serviceable guard who the Vikings eventually traded to the Jags. Dantzler ended up flaming out of the NFL and Lynch and Dye have bounced around the league acting in various roles. KJ Osborn was a serviceable WR 3 with the Vikings but after leaving was cut by the WR desperate Pats and ending up on Washington's practice squad. Wonnum provided a good rotational pass rusher but was easily replaced by Pat Jones II. Brandel has been a solid back up and Metellus has become one of the most reliable safeties in the league. Chisena and Lynch had some play on special teams and the rest of the UDFAs just faded. The 7th round guys continue to bounce around various practice squads or IR lists. The 2020 draft provided some depth at guard and WR but the CB prospects flamed out giving the Vikings some depth issues at CB. It did not help that given the cap situation the Vikings expected several of the mid round picks to contribute right away.
This is the infamous Zimmer storms out after drafting Mond. 2021 was an interesting draft with Darrisaw being an impact starter and eventually Bynum becoming a solid starter. Pat Jones had a break out year but is likely gone after this season. Nwagwu made it as a kick returner until getting cut and then bouncing around. Mond and Davis did absolutely nothing and the other guys have basically bounced around since then. The 2021 draft was overall not great. Only one 3rd rounder had any major playing time and outside of Bynum this class didn't provide anything in the way of depth. Wyatt Davis was a major miss.
With the expectation that several picks would contribute instantly and trying to patch with bottom of the barrel free agents meant that even folks who might have developed with time were thrown into the fire. With an aging roster at the end of 2021 the roster was quickly running into the age cliff. Rick was hurt a bit in the last few years with his free agency and draft approach since the Vikings continued to make moves as though they were still in a win now Superbowl window instead of realizing the Vikings were stuck in a Marvin Lewis Bengals type decline.
A big change to the Vikings defense in 2022 was bringing in Ed Donatell as the new defensive coordinator who brought a new defensive scheme which turned out to be an absolute disaster. The Donashell turned out to be the opposite of bend and don't break. More of a bend and break constantly. Unfortunately, the draft approach to the defense was for guys who would fit what Donatell wanted. I don't think there is any coincidence that the defensive picks taken with Flores have looked better. Anyway lets take one last look at the 2022 draft.
Whew this draft was bad. Cine and Booth actually fit Donatell's defense perfectly. They were disappointing and are no longer on the roster. Ingram was given all the chances to develop but he never took the next step and is at risk of being cut. Evans started 2023 pretty solid but then collapsed down the stretch and was cut mid-season in 2024. Asamoah has made some special teams plays but has not been able to get time on the field otherwise. Otomewo and Lowe are gone. Ty Chandler has had some good runs and has been solid at kick returning but doesn't seem to have the trust of the coaching staff. Nailor was injured his first 2 years but had a solid 2024 season for a 6th round pick. He filled in pretty well for Addison and made some clutch catches early in the year. He had a bit of a slump mid-season with some bad drops that almost cost the Vikings before finishing the season on a high note. Nailor has been a decent WR 3 but might end up better as a WR 4. Nick Muse was up and down from the Vikings practice squad before being released and signed to the Eagles practice squad. Ryan Wright has been alright at punting but the Vikings should bring in some competition this season.
The defensive picks were a disaster but unlike Rick, Kwesi was willing to own up to the mistake and cut Cine and traded Booth to free up the roster spots. He has admitted that he tried to fix all the problems at once and the Vikings have not made nearly as many trades in the 2 drafts after. The Vikings approach in 2022 honestly felt a lot more like a Rick Spielman draft than 2023 or 2024. This draft set the Vikings depth back a bit but overall drafting across the league is always a bit up and down and a bad first draft isn't that unusual.
The 2023 draft was a much different approach than 2022 and less hurried. The Vikings front office and coaching staff had a full season and off season to scout prospects and a new defensive coordinator in Brian Flores who had a better idea for talent than Donatell.
2023 was a much better draft for Kwesi and the Vikings than 2022. Kwesi didn't make a ton of trades for more picks and got several impact players. Addison has been a great number 2 WR on the field. His off the field issues were not present in college and might be a bit of an issue if he come up for a contract extension. Mekhi Blackmon saw a lot of playing time in 2023 and was in line to start in 2024 before suffering an ACL tear in training camp. Ward has been a solid special teamer but also is buried at safety. Jaren Hall actually had some decent plays in 2023 when forced into action but is currently on the Seahawk practice squad. McBride never managed to make an impact and is heading to the UFL this spring. Ivan Pace Jr might be the best UDFA the Vikings have signed since Adam Thielen. He has been a starter and one of the best blitzers in the NFL. Carter had a lot of upside coming out of college but ended up being poached from the Vikings practice squad by the Raiders. NaJee Thompson was an excellent punt gunner in 2023 and was in line for more work in 2024 before he also suffered a season ending injury. Thayer Thomas hasn't had much of an impact but remains on the Vikings practice squad.
The Vikings moved up in 2024 to draft QB JJ McCarthy. During the previous few drafts KOC had become known as the QB killer vetoing several potential QBs each year. The Vikings took a QB in the top 10 for the first time in team history and McCarthy was in line to get more first team reps and potentially beat out Darnold to start week one when a meniscus tear ended his season. The Vikings have not had a ton of luck drafting QBs and McCarthy's success or failure will be the defining moment of Kwesi and KOC. Dallas Turner was another young prospect who had been considered one of the best defensive prospects in the draft. He was stuck behind Van Ginkel and Greenard most of the season. He did suffer a slight knee injury early in the year and had limited playing time. He had some flash plays and got more snaps as the season went on. At just 21 years old he was not as finished as a guy like Verse but has a lot of room to grow. How he looks in year 2 is going to be another important marker for the Vikings.
Khyree Jackson was tragically killed in a car accident in July of 2024. He had turned heads at OTA's and mini camp and it was a very unfortunate loss for his family and the Vikings. Walter Rouse and Michael Jurgens showed enough in training camp and the pre-season to make the 53 and I think they were active a couple of games. Levi Drake Rodriguez actually got some playing time towards the end of the season even getting a tackle in a game against Seattle. Bo Richter was a major contributor on special teams and recorded a fumble recovery. Gabriel Murphy was taking 1st team reps during training camp and then suffered an injury which kept him on IR for a good chunk of the season. He made it onto the field a bit in the back half of the season and has a good chance to have a bigger role in 2025. McGlothern made the roster and briefly made it into a game during the season but for a UDFA he did enough to get more of a look next offseason. Taki Taimani made the 53 and got into some games at NT this year collecting some tackles and carving out a role for himself.
Overall, the draft under Kwesi has been a bit of a mixed bag. 2022 is a definite blemish on his record but as the 2023 and 2024 draft class gets more playing time and gives us a bigger picture, I think his reputation as a drafter will improve. It will be interesting to see what kind of contract extension the Vikings give him. He might not get as long as KOC if the Wilfs want to see a little more on the draft side of the ball. His work with the cap and in free agency has been top notch. The Vikings 2025 offseason will be fascinating. Do the Vikings go to free agency and try to fix the IOL? Do they add a corner? What do they do in the draft where they are currently projected to have 4 picks? How Kwesi approaches this now that the team is coming out of the rebuild. Let me know what folks think in the comments.