The Vikings made a total of six trades in their first draft under General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, spending five of their first six picks on defense before finishing with four offensive players.
Five big questions for the Vikings after their 10-player draft
The Vikings made six trades and spent most of their early picks on defense. Here are questions to consider as the team prepares to gather for workouts later this month.
May 2, 2022 at 12:34PM
As they prepare to put their entire 2022 roster on the field later this month for organized team activities, here are five questions they're still facing.
1. Will the corners hold up?
The Vikings used three picks in the first four rounds on defensive backs, taking Clemson cornerback Andrew Booth in the second round and Mississippi corner Akayleb Evans in the fourth. They could need contributions from at least one of the rookies, given the other questions in their cornerback group.
Patrick Peterson and Chandon Sullivan figure to take two of the three spots when the Vikings are in nickel, but even in that scenario, the team is counting on Cameron Dantzler to become a full-time starter or a player like Kris Boyd or Harrison Hand to improve.
Otherwise, they will have to lean on one of their two rookies. Booth could get the first crack at the job, but he will have to prove he can stay healthy; on Friday, he said he hadn't played injury-free since high school.
2. Do the Vikings have enough pass-rushing depth?
New coach Kevin O'Connell is excited about the combination of Danielle Hunter and Za'Darius Smith. As dangerous a duo as the Vikings could have in the two pass rushers, though, Smith and Hunter played a combined seven games last year. It was somewhat surprising the Vikings didn't add a pass-rushing linebacker in the draft — though they did guarantee University of Miami edge rusher Zach McCloud $250,000 as an undrafted free agent.
A player like D.J. Wonnum could need to show he can pressure the quarterback more consistently in Year 3. The Vikings are counting heavily on their two outside linebackers; they might have to manufacture pressure if either Smith or Hunter gets hurt.
3. Is the right guard competition more open than ever?
O'Connell said at the NFL owners' meetings he wanted to have a tough competition for the right guard spot, after the Vikings signed veterans Jesse Davis and Chris Reed. Their decision to spend a second-round pick on LSU guard Ed Ingram — whom some projected to be a Day 3 draft pick — might have been one of their most surprising moves of the draft, and would suggest Ingram has a chance to compete for a starting job.
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Listed at 6-3 and 307 pounds, Ingram brings more size to the position than many of the interior linemen the Vikings have drafted recently; the team seems optimistic about how Ingram could fit as it shifts from an outside zone running scheme to more of a mid-zone based attack. If Ingram picks things up quickly, he could get a chance to get on the field soon.
4. What will the defensive line look like?
Adding another player to the defensive front — particularly someone who could play defensive end in the Vikings' new 3-4 base scheme — seemed like a possibility entering the draft. But Gophers defensive end Esezi Otomewo, who went in the fifth round, was the only defensive lineman the Vikings drafted. And while Otomewo could have a role, Armon Watts and Dalvin Tomlinson could be the Vikings' ends in the base defense.
The team will likely use enough different looks that position classifications won't matter as much as they might have under Mike Zimmer, but as the Vikings shift to a different defensive front, it's worth watching how they line up on either side of Harrison Phillips at nose tackle.
5. Does this draft mean Kirk Cousins is here through 2023?
Not necessarily. Next year's draft is projected, at least at this point, to have a better crop of quarterbacks than the 2022 draft, which had only one passer (Pittsburgh's Kenny Pickett) taken in the first round.
But the fact the Vikings didn't pursue a passer like Liberty's Malik Willis on Day 2 would suggest Cousins is in line to play out his contract unless one of two things happens: Kellen Mond is enough of a revelation in 2022 that the Vikings feel comfortable asking Cousins to waive his no-trade clause, or the Vikings feel compelled to draft and start a rookie QB in 2023.
The Vikings could try to deal Cousins next year (provided he waives his no-trade clause) and get a bridge quarterback in 2023, but unless Mond shows major improvement in whatever playing time he gets this year, there's no obvious succession plan in place.
Cousins turns 34 in August; he has talked about wanting to play well enough to finish his career in Minnesota, and it might take a sharp turn of events for him not to be the QB through at least his age-35 season.
Mike Conley was in Minneapolis, where he sounded the Gjallarhorn at the Vikings game, on Sunday during the robbery.
