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Matt Krohn
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s draft history has been a talking point for years and he was ultimately canned from his GM job in January. His drafts remain, at least to some extent. Not a single player from his 2022 class is on the team for the 2026 season and only two of his 2023 crew are on the roster at this point.
CBS Sports’ Pete Prisco re-evaluated the 2023 classes and the Vikings got knocked with a C-, the same grade he gave Minnesota for the haul three years ago.
He explained, “The skinny: They had six picks and two are still on the roster, with both being projected starters. One is first-round receiver Jordan Addison, who has proven to be a good player. The other is fourth-round safety Jay Ward, who is expected to take over for Harrison Smith this season. The rest of the draft produced little.”
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Nov 16, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison (3) celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Chicago Bears at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images
Addison was a great pick back then and he has lived up to the hype, becoming an excellent second fiddle in Justin Jefferson’s offense. His off-field antics have raised some eyebrows, but between the lines, he’s a baller.
The receiver has tabulated 2,499 yards from scrimmage and 24 touchdowns in his three seasons and 46 games. As a rookie, he stepped up when Jefferson was sidelined by a hamstring injury, followed by another strong season in 2024. The only knock that year was an ankle injury that cost him a couple of games. Last year, of course, he was suspended for three games to start the season.
Earlier this offseason, the Vikings picked up Addison’s fifth-year option. He’s now signed through 2027. Though there have been some trade rumors, the Vikings have given little reason to believe he won’t be on the team for much longer than that.
Aside from Addison, the 2023 haul has been a struggle. As Prisco mentioned, Ward could step into a meaningful role with Smith potentially retiring. He’s at least been a valuable special-teamer and backup for three seasons, which isn’t a bad outcome for a fourth-rounder.
Prisco continued, “How I did: My favorite pick was Addison, who I said would be the best receiver in his class. He is not that, but he’s been a really productive player for them. I didn’t like the pick of corner Mekhi Blackmon in the second round, but he tore and ACL after a promising start to his career and is now in Indianapolis. This was not one of my favorite drafts then, and it isn’t now.”
As a quick point of correction, Blackmon was not selected in the 2nd. Rather, he went in the 3rd, chosen at No. 102 overall.
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Nov 12, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings cornerback Mekhi Blackmon (5) intercepts the ball against the New Orleans Saints in the fourth quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports.
Blackmon was surprisingly shipped to Indianapolis last offseason, ending his Vikings tenure after only two seasons. The momentum of a solid rookie season was paused by a torn ACL suffered in his second training camp and he was forced to sit out the 2024 season. It’s worth exploring whether the trade for a sixth-rounder was a loss, but we might need another year of data to fully come to a conclusion.
Those three were the top three picks that year. The second-round pick was shipped to Detroit in the T.J. Hockenson sweepstakes. The missing pick certainly didn’t help find contributors.
Later, the Vikings added three more players: Jaquelin Roy, Jaren Hall, and DeWayne McBride.
Fifth-rounder Roy appeared in 12 games as a rookie and was axed after his second preseason. He played in six games with the Patriots in 2024, but missed the entire 2025 season with an injury.
Hall, another fifth-rounder, was never planned to be a starter in his debut season, but the Vikings asked him to be one twice. He was cut in 2024, spent a year with the Seahawks and several try-outs didn’t lead to anything in 2025. Hall retired last week.
McBride has never appeared in an NFL game. Despite the alarmingly bad state of the running back crew in 2023, he failed to land a roster spot and was released after a year on the practice squad. Since then, he has had unsuccessful stops in the CFL and UFL and he signed with the Orlando Pirates of the Indoor Football League in February.
Overall, the class has produced a pretty good player and a solid rotational piece in Addison and Ward, but it certainly didn’t help revive an aging roster with young talent.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.
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