To this point, Minnesota\u2019s 2023 draft class is performing much better than Kwesi Adofo-Mensah\u2019s inaugural class in 2022.<\/p>\n
Second-year Vikings General Manager Kwesi-Adofo Mensah<\/a> was under a lot of pressure to ensure Minnesota\u2019s 2023 draft class made an immediate impact. He was coming off a very poor showing in 2022 that\u2019s already seen the first two picks labeled as busts. There was also a lot of retooling and cutting of pricy veterans in the off-season. That opened up spots all over the field in Minnesota to be filled by younger players on rookie contracts.<\/p>\n It’s impossible to truly assess the long-term Vikings 2023 draft class through ten games, but it\u2019s a fair point to check in on early contributions. This piece will be assigning an early draft grade to each drafted Vikings rookie, as well as a contributing undrafted player.<\/p>\n The first two days of the NFL draft are what sank Adofo-Mensah\u2019s first class in 2022. First-rounder Lewis Cine and second-rounder Andrew Booth can be chalked up as busts to this point. Only late second-rounder Ed Ingram has made any sort of impact, and there\u2019s been as much good as bad there. Looking at the impact this group has made, things are off to a better start for Minnesota\u2019s 2023 draft class.<\/p>\n With the success of their predecessors, rookie first-round receivers have had their expectations heightened in recent years. That set the bar high for Addison<\/a>, who was brought in to replace Vikings legend Adam Thielen\u2019s production.<\/p>\n To this point, Addison has delivered a campaign that has him on pace for over 1,000 yards and double-digit touchdowns. To add to his degree of difficulty, he\u2019s had to step up into injured All-World receiver Justin Jefferson\u2019s starring role in the offense while also dealing with the loss of starting quarterback Kirk Cousins<\/a>.<\/p>\n Minnesota can\u2019t be anything but thrilled by how Addison has performed to this point. It\u2019s going to be fun to watch a more comfortable Addison work opposite Justin Jefferson when the latter eventually returns.<\/p>\n Mekhi Blackmon<\/a> played somewhat sparingly early in the season behind Byron Murphy and Akayleb Evans on the depth chart. When he\u2019s been on the field, Blackmon has more than held his own. He\u2019s allowing a completion percentage of 52.3% on 21 targets and has rarely blown an assignment. Blackmon is also coming off a huge performance against the Saints that saw him come away with his first interception. Blackmon may be in line for a big stretch run in an increased role.<\/p>\n Third-day choices are much harder to get production from in the NFL. There\u2019s normally a deficiency of some sort that causes players to remain on the board past pick 100. That said, these are the selections that the best-run teams typically can find a contributor or two from. Minnesota\u2019s 2023 draft class features a few such players, especially when you cheat a little and include undrafted rookies.<\/p>\n Backup safety\/slot corner Jay Ward<\/a> has largely been used as a special teamer early on. The reason for his bad grade is that most of his contributions to the unit have led to groans. Those have been highlighted by a couple of bad offsides penalties on kicks. The biggest one led the Bucs to score a touchdown after a Ward penalty resulted in a first down. That ended up literally being the difference in their Week 1 loss. With Ward having limited opportunities to impact games, he needs to clean up the mistakes to stick around.<\/p>\n It didn\u2019t seem fair to assign failing grades to a fifth-round nose tackle in Roy<\/a> and seventh-round running back in McBride. Roy has been active a handful of times this season as a backup but hasn\u2019t logged a tackle. McBride was a camp cut following a disappointing preseason. At the moment, it\u2019s safe to assume neither will end up making an impact for Minnesota.<\/p>\nThe Day-1 and 2 Picks from Minnesota\u2019s 2023 Draft Class Have Shown Up<\/strong><\/h2>\n
1st<\/sup> Rounder Jordan Addison: Grade A-<\/strong><\/h3>\n
3rd<\/sup> \u00a0Rounder Mekhi Blackmon: Grade B-<\/strong><\/h3>\n
A Rookie Quarterback and Undrafted Linebacker Highlight the Rest of Minnesota\u2019s 2023 Draft Class<\/strong><\/h2>\n
4th Rounder Jay Ward: Grade D<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Jaquelin Roy and Trey McBride: Grade N\/A<\/strong><\/h3>\n
6th Rounder Jaren Hall: Grade B<\/strong><\/h3>\n