The Minnesota Vikings have set themselves up beautifully to take the best player available with their selections in the 2025 draft.
They have aggressively addressed every pressing need with which they entered the offseason. Given their roster holes and dearth of draft capital, they had to spend deliberately in free agency. Instead of pigeonholing themselves into trading back to acquire more picks or needing to select a specific position at pick No. 24, the Vikings gave themselves more flexibility and autonomy over their draft process. Sometimes, it just makes more sense to have DoorDash dinner than cooking at home.
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has been building toward this offseason since he took the Vikings job in 2022. We are now bearing witness to what he so figuratively described in all of those press conferences.
“Competitive rebuild” seemed like a great concept, but many dismissed the notion as general-manager jargon and questioned the philosophy. Three seasons and 34 wins later, it has looked even better in practice than in theory. Adofo-Mensah and the rest of the front office have methodically turned over the roster they inherited without missing a beat. They’ve built to this Super Bowl window while managing two double-digit-win seasons with two different quarterbacks.
Thanks to the coaching staff, ownership, and everything in between, the Vikings have fostered one of the most player-friendly environments in the National Football League. It’s why Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave flew directly to Minnesota upon being released. It’s why Harrison Smith is back for one more year, and why the franchise has an advantage in fielding a contending roster going forward.
Minnesota entered this offseason with big needs at cornerback, running back, interior defensive line, and interior offensive line.
They addressed corner by re-signing Byron Murphy Jr. and adding Isaiah Rodgers. Murphy is coming off a career year and is familiar with defensive coordinator Brian Flores’ scheme. Rodgers was inconsistent on his rookie contract but excelled in man coverage, particularly with the Philadelphia Eagles last year. Rodgers played over 75% of his snaps on the outside in 2024, ranked sixth in the NFL in PFF’s man-coverage grade, and allowed the 10th-lowest average depth of target in the league. At two years, $15 million, the signing is a shrewd move that could pay dividends for Minnesota, much like Murphy’s first two seasons with the team.
Despite Aaron Jones’ career year in 2024, the Vikings finished the season as a mediocre rushing offense. They were 20th in EPA per rush, 26th in yards per rush, and 26th in rushing success rate. Jones is back on a two-year extension to ensure the room has a reliable veteran presence.
Following Jones’ extension, all signs pointed to Minnesota selecting a running back in the draft. Still, with only four picks in the 2025 draft, the Vikings did not want their hand forced. So Adofo-Mensah used the sixth-round pick he got in the Ed Ingram trade and moved down from pick 160 to 187 to acquire Jordan Mason from the San Francisco 49ers.
You may remember Mason from his 100-yard performance against the Vikings in Week 2. He filled in admirably for the oft-injured Christian McCaffrey, finishing sixth among all backs with over 100 carries in yards per carry at 5.2. Mason is a decisive zone runner with great vision and excellent power at the point of contact. Upon acquiring him, Minnesota extended Mason for two years, $7 million — an excellent price for an ascending player who fits the offensive scheme.
Kwesi and Co. vigorously pursued two of the best veteran defensive tackles on the market, and negotiations were smooth because they wanted to play for the Vikings. While both Javon Hargrave and Jonathan Allen will help the team in 2025 and perhaps beyond, Adofo-Mensah mitigated the opportunity cost of signing big-time veterans. Since Hargrave and Allen were released before their contracts expired, neither will count toward the compensatory pick formula.
For a team that likes to trade Day 2 and Day 3 picks for established talent, acquiring extra compensatory picks is crucial. Adofo-Mensah toed that line with these signings while bringing in significant talent at the position. Two of the best pass-rushing defensive tackles in the NFL join 2024’s best run defense. As he has in the past, Adofo-Mensah could pay below premium money for big-time contributors, largely due to 2024 injuries. Hargrave partially tore his triceps and missed the rest of the season, while Allen returned from a torn pectoral in Week 16.
However, an upgraded interior offensive line might be what Vikings fans have yearned for most in the past few seasons. The current regime has tried to address this issue along the margins since taking over. The second-round pick on Ingram, late signings of Dalton Risner, extending Garrett Bradbury, and moving Blake Brandel to left guard. The Vikings got serviceable play for portions of the season in 2024. Still, Bradbury and Ingram were both bottom-five at their position in pressure rate allowed. Even once Risner replaced Ingram, the issues on the interior were a big reason the Vikings sputtered in the Wild Card round.
For as long as this issue persisted, some Vikings fans thought they’d see another moneyball offseason at the position. Au contraire. Adofo-Mensah quickly proved the veracity of his statements throughout the offseason.
“We know what we need to improve,” he said in a January interview. “We’re going to be intentional about attacking the things we need to get better at.”
“There’s no question that we got to be able to find a way to give the quarterback time,” Kevin O’Connell said after the Los Angeles Rams eliminated the Vikings in the playoffs. “We got to find a way to solidify the interior of the pocket.”
The Vikings did just that on Day 2 of free agency, acquiring center Ryan Kelly (two years, $19 million) and guard Will Fries (5 years, $88 million) from the Indianapolis Colts. Subsequently, they traded Ingram and released Bradbury to reset those positions.
Kelly is a veteran and former Pro Bowler who is excellent when healthy, and Fries is an ascending player who Adofo-Mensah was able to secure at less than $20 million per year largely due to a broken leg he suffered following an excellent start to his 2024 season. Bone breaks are much simpler to rehab than ligament tears, so there’s no reason to think Fries won’t continue his ascent. Minnesota’s offensive line got tougher, meaner, and better with these moves.
It’s hard to believe that we made it. The job isn’t finished; there is still football to be played. Still, this is the first draft in recent memory that Minnesota approaches without any major needs. The Vikings could take a corner early but would be comfortable with their room if their targets aren’t available.
The same goes for every position of need, affording Minnesota depth and luxury picks in this year’s draft. They have more leverage on the draft process than many thought possible, thanks to the groundwork Kwesi Adofo-Mensa and Co. have laid since 2022. We’re now entering what is sure to be the most exciting “time horizon” this fandom has experienced in seven years.