Vikings mailbag: Assessing cornerbacks, GM moves and strength of schedule

Thank you for submitting questions for this Vikings mailbag. You can send questions to @Andrew_Krammer on X (formerly Twitter) or andrew.krammer@startribune.com. Listen for answers to more reader questions on the weekly Access Vikings podcast or find them here. Let's get to it.

Q: How concerned should we be that they're running a man coverage heavy scheme with an unproven cornerback group? – @uff_dumb

AK: Unproven is the right word for General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah's reboot at cornerback. The Vikings have kept none of the corners inherited by the new front office just 18 months ago. Ex-Cardinals starter Byron Murphy Jr., who arrived in March via free agency, is the only corner on the roster with an NFL interception.

New coordinator Brian Flores promises to bring a versatile, morphing defense that can play three corners or three safeties (or both) at a time. Can they rely on three corners? Second-year corner Akayleb Evans is making the biggest leap. He's starting opposite Murphy in the base defense. The third cornerback, replacing Murphy when the veteran moves into the slot, has been rookie Mekhi Blackmon.

How ready are they to cover NFL receivers man-to-man? Evans, a physical, 6-2 defender, is built for it. Although he barely played man coverage under former coordinator Ed Donatell (just 16 of 100 coverage snaps, per PFF), he's no stranger. Only two FBS corners played a higher rate of man coverage than Evans' 52.2% in 2021 at Missouri; PFF tabbed him with a respectable 68.1 passer rating allowed.

But covering pro receivers is a different game. Blackmon saw last week in Seattle, where Seahawks quarterback Drew Lock looked off rookie safety Jay Ward and threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Blackmon's guy. Blackmon played sticky coverage on receiver Easop Winston Jr., but the ball beat his left arm to the catch point. At USC last fall, Blackmon didn't often play man (20.2%), but he was stout with three catches allowed and two interceptions on 15 targets.

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Q: What is a fair assessment of Kwesi in the GM's job? Two underwhelming drafts and questionable draft night trades/selections for players that haven't stepped up yet. — @randysavage_69

AK: The Wilf family's "super competitive" edict is seemingly why the roster rebuild is only really beginning now with the departures of veterans like Adam Thielen, Dalvin Cook and Eric Kendricks. The Vikings ran it back in 2022. They won 13 games, but the first-round playoff exit was all the evidence needed that they had maximized that veteran group with an NFL-record 11 one-score wins.

The roster needed to be torn down. But Adofo-Mensah is toeing a "competitive rebuild" line that prevents the Vikings from being all in like last year's tanking Chicago Bears. The Wilfs want an approach like the Pittsburgh Steelers, where ex-Vikings assistant Mike Tomlin has never had a losing record in 16 seasons.

"We want to be great every year and give ourselves a chance," Adofo-Mensah said on July 25. "How do you shape shift while still winning? Ultimately, that's a little riskier than tearing everything down and being bad for a while, then coming back up. But we know that. I can tell you the mathematical probability of doing it that way, and that's the way other teams may have chosen. But that's not the way we're trying to do it."

Judging Adofo-Mensah's individual moves — from agreeing to pay Danielle Hunter for just this season while also shedding other veterans — must be done in the context of team ownership taking what the GM has acknowledged as the "riskier" route.

The 2022 draft class needs a strong year. They were undercut by injuries as rookies, but there's potential among Evans, linebacker Brian Asamoah and running back Ty Chandler. But the top three picks aren't standing out. First-round safety Lewis Cine is buried on the depth chart. Second-round cornerback Andrew Booth Jr. has been passed by Evans and Blackmon. Second-round guard Ed Ingram had a rough preseason debut.

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Q: Excited to compete for the NFC North, but just looked at the schedule again. No cakewalk. Can the couple games different from the rest of the division (based on last year's record) make or break the season? Or are division wins still key? — @jvangelder

AK: Due to last year's NFC North title, the Vikings play three reigning division winners — the Eagles, Bengals and 49ers — in addition to facing the entire NFC South and AFC West. The Lions instead get to face a trio of second-place finishers — the Cowboys, Ravens and Seahawks — while the Packers get the Giants, Steelers and Rams. The Bears' last-placed schedule has the Commanders, Browns and Cardinals. That absolutely matters, especially when the Vikings' unique foes all played in NFC and AFC title games last year. But obviously going 6-0 in the division hands each opponent two losses that Minnesota might pick up. The margin for error is thin for a young team with a first-place schedule.

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Q: Outside of the obvious candidates like Justin Jefferson, T.J. Hockenson, Christian Darrisaw, etc. … which player or players have the highest ceiling? — @kufoolch

AK: First-round receiver Jordan Addison has looked special in training camp. There's untapped potential in veteran edge rusher Marcus Davenport, and the Vikings paid for his upside with a one-year deal for $10 million. Davenport's NFL.com draft profile comparison was teammate Danielle Hunter. He routinely produced pressure when healthy in New Orleans, but he has rarely been healthy. He also said he needs to improve as a finisher after having just a 0.5 sack last year for the Saints.

Second-year linebacker Brian Asamoah flashed playmaking chops in limited action as a rookie. You may be pleasantly surprised by Murphy, the ex-Cardinals cornerback. He has routinely broken up passes in camp, and coaches believe he's one of the league's best slot corners.

Q: We have heard very little about interior O-line. Are the Vikings still confident with what they have? Or will this continue to be the bane of our existence? — @bigbadragz

AK: The Vikings hosted free-agent guard Dalton Risner, a four-year starter for the Broncos including three years with Vikings offensive line coach Chris Kuper, earlier this month. Head coach Kevin O'Connell revealed that they talked to Risner about playing right guard (he's taken 3,000-plus NFL snaps at left guard). Risner's visit, talks about right guard and Ingram being one of a few Vikings starters to play in the preseason opener say all you need to know. Ingram struggled as a rookie last year, and O'Connell put his issues in Seattle on communication problems with a different center in Austin Schlottmann.