After the Vikings drafted 10 players, questions remain

The Vikings did a total of six transactions in his first draft led by general manager Kwesi Adafo-Mensa, holding five of the first six defensive elections before finishing with four strikers.

As they prepare to bring the entire 2022 list to the field later this month for organized teamwork, here are five questions they still face.

1. Will the corners stand?

The Vikings used three elections in the first four rounds on defensive defenders, taking Clemson as a cornerback Andrew Booth in the second round and Corner Mississippi Akaileb Evans in the fourth. They may need the contribution of at least one of the newcomers, given other issues in their group of defenders.

Patrick Peterson and Chandon Sullivan will take two of three places when the Vikings are in Nickel, but even in such a scenario the team expects Cameron Danzler to be a full-time start or a player like Chris Boyd or Harrison Hand to improve.

Otherwise they will have to rely on one of their two newbies. Booth may get the first crack at work, but he will need to prove that he can stay healthy; on Friday he said he did not play without injuries from high school.

2. Is the Viking lacking the depth of the transition?

New coach Kevin O’Connell delighted with the combination of Daniel Hunter and Za’Darius Smith. Smith and Hunter last year played together seven games in such a dangerous duo as the Vikings could be in two passes. It was somewhat surprising that the Vikings did not add a linebacker to the draft, who threw a pass – although they guaranteed a rocher from the University of Miami Zach McClades $ 250,000 as an undeclared free agent.

A player like DJ Wonnum may need to show that he can put more consistent pressure on the defender in the 3rd year. The Vikings rely heavily on their two external defenders; they may have to apply pressure if Smith or Hunter are hurt.

3. Is the competition of the right guard more open than ever?
At NFL owners’ meetings, O’Connell said he would like to compete fiercely for the right guard post after the Vikings signed veterans Jesse Davis and Chris Reed. Their decision to run in the second round on LSU guard Ed Ingram – who some predicted would be selected on the Day 3 draft – could have been one of their strangest steps in the draft, suggesting that Ingrem has a chance to fight for starting work.

At 6-3 and 307 pounds, Ingram brings more size to the position than many of the domestic liners the Vikings have drafted recently; the team seems optimistic as to how Ingram can fit when he moves from an outer zone launch scheme to a more midfield-based attack. If Ingram adjusts quickly, he will soon have a chance to enter the field.

4. What will the line of defense look like?

Adding another player to the defensive front – especially one who could play defensively in the new base Viking 3-4 scheme – seemed like an opportunity to get into the draft. But the gophers defensive end Esezi Otomewo who came out in the fifth round, was the only linear defender of the Vikings. And while Otomewo may play a role, Armon Watts and Dalwin Tomlinson may be the ends of the Vikings in defending the base.

The team will likely use a different enough look that the classification of positions will not be as important as under Mike Timer, but if the Vikings move to the other front of defense, you should watch how they line up on both sides of Harrison Phillips in the plantation.

5. Does this draft mean Kirk Cousins ​​until 2023?

Not necessarily. It is predicted that next year’s draft, at least for now, will have better quarterbacks than the 2022 draft, where only one pass was taken in the first round (Kenny Pickett from Pittsburgh).

But the fact that the Vikings didn’t chase a pass like Malik Willis of Liberty on day 2 may suggest that Cousins ​​must fulfill his contract if one of two things doesn’t happen: Kellen Mond will be enough of a revelation in 2022 that the Vikings feel comfortable asking Casinos to abandon the ban on trade, otherwise the Vikings will feel they have to draft and start a QB rookie in 2023.

The Vikings could try to reach an agreement with the Casinos next year (provided he abandons the non-trade regulations) and get a bridge quarterback in 2023, but if Le Monde doesn’t show a significant improvement in the time he gets this year , there is no obvious plan of continuity.

The cousin turns 34 in August; he talked about wanting to play well enough end his career in Minnesotaand it may take a sharp turn of events so he isn’t QB at least through the season under 35.