3 reasons the Minnesota Vikings will regret trading down in 2022 NFL Draft
Minnesota Vikings fans had to wait a little while on Day 1 and Day 2 of the 2022 NFL draft because GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah opted to stockpile picks.
Minnesota Vikings fans anxiously waited for their team to make a pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. That pick wouldn’t happen until late Day 1.
The Vikings came into the draft with the No. 12 pick but ended up selecting 32nd overall. They passed up on players like Jermaine Johnson, Jordan Davis, and Kyle Hamilton, to name a few. On Day 2, the trend continued.
Vikings fans thought they would see the Purple people Eaters pick early in the second round. Nope, fans had to wait until the third round. Why? Because the Vikings opted to trade within their division and help the Lions and Packers get better.
Sure, it’s a little tongue-in-cheek, but the Vikings’ draft strategy was odd, to say the least. Overall, the Vikings did a great job with this draft.
Safety Lewis Cine, corner Andrew Booth, and linebacker Brian Asamoah were excellent additions. Nevertheless, they made some mistakes they’ll regret.
Minnesota Vikings passed on the best safety prospect
Harrison Smith just turned 33, and he needs some help on the other side. Xavier Woods left, leaving 2021 fourth-round pick Cam Bynum.
After trading down, they drafted Georgia’s Lewis Cine, who by all accounts will be a solid starter. If they were going to take a safety anyway, why not draft Kyle Hamilton? If you want a comp for Harrison Smith, it’s Hamilton.
They both played for Notre Dame at a high level, becoming first-round picks. Hamilton is a rangy safety who can line up in a single high and erase the deep ball.
In a two-deep set, he plays zone at a high level. Or he can drop inside the box and take away the run. He’s a versatile weapon with All-Pro potential.
They helped the Lions get better
Call me simple-minded, but the goal is to dominate your division by means. Sure, they netted a couple of draft picks by trading down, but they allowed their division rival to get better.
No one takes the Detroit Lions seriously, and I get it — they aren’t a threat to the NFC North. Still, they allowed them to draft the No. 1 wide receiver prospect in the 2022 NFL Draft.
This wasn’t about Jameson Williams hurting the Vikings next year. Williams could be a player who haunts them for years to come.
They helped the Packers get their guy
If you don’t think they helped the Lions much, given the current state of their franchise, I get it. How do you explain allowing the Packers to move up the draft board for their wide receiver?
The Packers were likely going to trade up for a guy one way or the other. At the very least, the Vikings shouldn’t have been the team to trade with them.
Aaron Rodgers owns the division, and he just got another weapon. Christian Watson is a deep threat wideout who has a chance to be a Pro Bowl player. Thankfully, the Minnesota Vikings added defensive help. We can hope that cornerback Andrew Booth can shut him down.