Vikings get up-close look at picks that weren't

Perhaps the dumbest question posed to rookie first-round draft pick Lewis Cine during his time in Minnesota was whether he had seen "the video from Philadelphia."

"Oh, man, of course," he said. "I think everyone has."

It was shot Aug. 7 during a training camp practice at Lincoln Financial Field, where the Vikings (1-0) will play the Eagles (1-0) on "Monday Night Football." The star of the eight-second clip that went viral was behemoth Philly rookie nose tackle Jordan Davis. The victim, for lack of a better word, was rookie center Cam Jurgens.

Jurgens is a good player, a stout 6-3, 290 pounds, and the 51st overall pick in the draft. Four times during the video of this one-on-one drill, Jurgens tried dropping his hips and anchoring his feet to stop Davis' onslaught. All four times he looked like he was on roller skates as the 6-6, 336-pound Davis — drafted 13th overall, one spot after the Vikings traded down 20 picks — drove him backwards 10 yards while towering over him.

"That's just JD," said Cine, the No. 32 pick who was, like Davis, one of a record five Georgia defenders drafted in the first round this year. "I've seen him do that stuff a million times. He's a big man."

Chances are Vikings center Garrett Bradbury, rookie right guard Ed Ingram, left guard Ezra Cleveland and running back Dalvin Cook will be seeing more of Davis come Monday night.

In last week's 38-35 victory at Detroit, the Eagles surrendered 181 yards rushing on 28 carries. The Lions ran the ball 14 times with Davis on the field and 14 times with him on the sideline. With Davis on the sideline, the Lions ran for 138 yards (9.9-yard average). With Davis in the game, they ran for 43 yards (3.1), including Davis' tackle for no gain on third-and-1 in the red zone.

Ingram was laughing and holding his right hand about half a foot above his head while saying that.

Of the five defensive tackles who were active for the Eagles last Sunday, Davis played the fewest snaps. Starters Fletcher Cox (39) and Javon Hargrave (38) led the way, followed by Milton Williams (33) and Marlon Tuipulotu (29).

"Jordan did a good job when he was in there," said Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, a Vikings assistant defensive backs coach from 2014 to '17. "I thought that he played his technique well. I think he'll keep maximizing his opportunities."

Keeping score of Kwesi

For those keeping a way-too-early running score of Kwesi Adofo-Mensah's first draft as Vikings general manager, Monday night is another opportunity to watch one of 20 first-rounders the Vikings passed on in trading down from 12 to 32. As soon as the Lions took receiver Jameson Williams with the 12th overall pick they got from the Vikings, the Eagles traded up with Houston to select Davis, who won college football's Outland Trophy as best interior lineman and the Chuck Bednarik Award as best defensive player.

"If it's O-line, D-line, wherever I can contribute," Cine said. "I'll be playing special teams, too. It's part of the process. You got to earn your way onto the defense. I loved special teams when I played it in college. That's where I first made my bread and butter. It's no different here."

Even with Cine sidelined, hindsight treated Adofo-Mensah's early moves in the draft relatively well in Week 1. Some examples:

Receiver move pays off

Jefferson now heads to Philly, where Eagles fans aren't too happy that their GM, Howie Roseman, chose receiver Jalen Reagor one spot ahead of Jefferson in the first round of the 2020 draft. Roseman officially gave up on Reagor late last month when he traded him to the Vikings for a 2023 seventh-round pick and a conditional fourth-round pick in 2024.

That doesn't mean Roseman isn't capable of a good-to-great transaction involving an elite receiver. He is, after all, the early front-runner for best move in the first round of the 2022 draft.

The Philly defense also scored on a pick-six. It came during a 24-point second quarter that saw the Eagles also force Detroit into back-to-back three-and-outs.

So, yeah, the Eagles do rank 29th in rushing yards allowed per play (6.46). But that might change when the big fella from that viral video sees more playing time on Monday night.

"He huge," said Cook, whose younger brother, James, played with Davis at Georgia and is now a Bills running back.

"I met him in person a few times. He's a big individual. We got to account for that guy down there."

Just ask Cam Jurgens. Or Google his attempted block of Davis back on Aug. 7.