How will the 2023 Vikings win? If their young players step up and develop quickly

The rebuild portion of Kwesi Adofo-Mensah's vision for a "competitive rebuild" is now in full effect and reflected in the opening game roster.

The 2023 Vikings are notably young at multiple positions, with unproven or inexperienced players being counted on to handle important roles.

The roster makeover was a necessary step for both competitive and financial reasons. The Vikings desperately needed to get younger and faster and less expensive to give the general manager flexibility to sign the organization's stars to mega-contracts.

Now the burden of developing young talent shifts to Kevin O'Connell and his coaching staff. This is a crucial piece in any prognostication about the Vikings.

Enough players that fall under the "TBD" category must establish themselves as core pieces for the Vikings to advance beyond being a fringe playoff team and perpetually stuck in a good-but-not-great tier.

"Draft and develop" has long been an NFL creed. O'Connell's staff needs to show that they are maestros in the development department.

"That's a huge word here," the second-year head coach said. "Each guy is on their own path and they control ultimately where that goes, but yes, coaches, I challenge those guys on a daily basis. What are we doing to, not just talk about development, but make it a point within our organization that it's a foundational thing that we all live and breathe?"

Throw a dart at the roster and it likely will land on a position or player that highlights O'Connell's challenge. Especially on defense.

Three of their top four cornerbacks — Akayleb Evans, Andrew Booth Jr. and Mekhi Blackmon — are in their first or second seasons.

The team has high hopes for second-year linebacker Brian Asamoah, but he must prove that on the field. Safety Josh Metellus is transitioning to a more prominent role in Brian Flores' defense. The team signed Marcus Davenport to a one-year deal with the goal of jump-starting his career as an edge rusher.

Ed Ingram started every game at right guard as a rookie last season, but it was a shaky learning process that needs a payoff this season and beyond to solidify his spot on the offensive line.

Safety Lewis Cine, a first-round pick last season, remains an unknown.

There are other examples.

The youth movement is partly necessitated by financial realities. Adofo-Mensah is navigating a lengthy checklist that included signing T.J. Hockenson to a contract that averages $17.125 million annually, making him the highest-paid tight end in NFL history.

Justin Jefferson's new contract should be finalized soon and will reset the market for wide receivers. His deal is expected to be historic.

Left tackle Christian Darrisaw is inching closer to a massive payday as well. And, lest we forget, Adofo-Mensah still has that little quandary at quarterback to solve after Kirk Cousins' contract expires after this season.

The expenses are piling up.

The Vikings need young players on rookie deals and less expensive contracts to balance the roster by becoming productive starters or key backups.

Former coach Mike Zimmer once described his roster as "top heavy with finances" while expressing concern about the overall depth. Too many swing-and-misses in the draft put the Vikings in that predicament, and the repercussions are still being felt.

The past five drafts have produced only three defensive players who are listed as starters on the 2023 opening depth chart: safety Camryn Bynum, Asamoah and Evans. Nine draft picks in that span are listed as backups, meaning only 12 of 25 defensive players on the 53-man roster were selected in the past five drafts.

One must look back to 2015 to find drafted defensive players who made a true definitive impact. That's the year the Vikings selected Trae Waynes, Eric Kendricks and Danielle Hunter with their first three picks.

Hence, the impetus for a roster rebuild.

Not a rebuild in a traditional sense. Not starting over with minimal expectations. Thirteen wins last season and a roster that features a productive veteran quarterback, one of the NFL's best players overall and established talent elsewhere are enough reasons to believe the Vikings can reach the playoffs again.

But their youth sprinkled throughout the roster is noteworthy. O'Connell said he emphasizes player development daily inside the organization. The whole notion of a competitive rebuild hinges on it.