In his first NFL Draft, Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi-Adofo Mensah acquired some new talent that could help the Vikings get back to the playoffs. He also made six trades, dividing draft experts on his performance.
While fans on the internet may argue whether trading with two division rivals was a good idea, they may also wonder what Adofo-Mensah’s predecessor thought of his first draft.
Former Vikings general manager Rick Spielman worked as an analyst for CBS Sports during draft weekend and gave his thoughts on the Vikings’ class. While he didn’t comment on Adofo-Mensah channeling “Trader Rick,” he commended the selections of Georgia safety Lewis Cine and Clemson cornerback Andrew Booth Jr.
“I thought they did a great job for their first draft,” Spielman said. “I thought with Cine and Booth…they got some really good players in the secondary that could come in and help immediately.”
Spielman had specifically high praise for Booth, who the Vikings traded up for and selected with the 42nd overall pick.
“I thought Booth, when I saw him play this year, had the potential,” Spielman said.
“[He] should have potentially been a first-round pick.”
Spielman was torn on LSU guard Ed Ingram, saying he was “a little stiff” but “a mauler” and saw promise in Oklahoma linebacker Brian Asamoah, who the Vikings landed with the 66th overall pick.
“He’s got great range,” Spielman said. “He’s going to be a nickel cover guy, he’s going to help them on special teams and will eventually develop into a very good starter.”
Overall, Spielman gave the Vikings draft a B- but cautioned that he usually took three years to grade a draft class. It’s interesting to guess what Spielman would have done in this class but it appears that he believes the new regime is off to a solid start.
