Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah seemed to indicate Thursday that it’s time for his front office to take a home run swing for a quarterback in the NFL Draft.
When discussing the idea of trading up and the risk that comes with it – and the monumental price tag of numerous first-round picks – the third-year general manager made it clear that the Vikings cannot fear risk.
“Just because something’s risky doesn’t mean you have to stay away from it. It is something that is hard to grasp, but if you grasp it you know what the rewards are. That’s something you have to weigh and measure,” he said.
“Look, the last couple years, obviously it’s out there, the results of the quarterbacks that were drafted … I think we look at those things and we obviously honor them and respect them but we also look at environment and are we setting the person up to succeed? When we talk about these players, it’s not just how good are they, it’s how do we get the best version of themselves if they come to the Minnesota Vikings, and we set up plans before they walk into the building,” he said.
“I think our odds will be better than the margins. How good are those odds? Obviously it’s still a pretty risky thing, but just because something’s risky doesn’t mean you’re scared of it. It’s uncertain and we gotta take our swing but that doesn’t give us any pause.”
That right there is the general manager of the Vikings appearing to suggest that the foundation in Minnesota is far steadier than foundations where other recent highly-drafted quarterbacks landed. Bryce Young in Carolina is a great example. Zach Wilson in New York and Justin Fields in Chicago are also good examples of talented quarterbacks not having enough pieces around them to succeed.
Sam Darnold, who was taken third overall by the Jets in 2018, is a great example. Darnold is now in Minnesota where he could be the 2024 starter with weapons like Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson, Aaron Jones and two very good offensive tackles in Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill.
“That’s the interesting part. When you go back and look at some of these historical things, and everybody talks about the low hit rates, is that because the player wasn’t good or because the situation wasn’t great?” Adofo-Mensah said.
“A lot of these guys have to overcome circumstance. Some guys are good enough to, and that’s obviously you want to get the guy that’s good enough to, but I do think there things that are causal situational. That’s why we talk so much about putting them in the right environment.”
What other hints did Adofo-Mensah provide into his possibly psyche?
Here’s what he said when asked if he thinks there’s any chance the Vikings don’t take a quarterback in the first round.
“I mean you have to be ready for everything. I think it’s a very deep class,” he said. “If there’s elite players at premium positions on the board, I don’t think you’re supposed to reach or force – that’s not what I believe, all the while understanding that is the most important position in the sport. It’s calculating both of those things at the same time.”
Does he think he can get the quarterback he wants without trading up?
“I wish I knew the answer to that question,” he said with a big smile on his face. “That’s the hardest part. You’re in a blind auction, in a sense, and you don’t know when the next person is going to raise their hand and call a name. You really just gotta be strategic about how you position yourself. At the end of the day you gotta ask yourself, ‘Am I going to regret not doing this trade?'”
The common theme from his Thursday press conference was that big risk comes with big reward and that fear of striking out cannot stop the Vikings from taking a swing.
