7 biggest Vikings questions heading into the 2022 offseason
By Adam Carlson
Has Rick Speilman brought in enough young talent?
Justin Jefferson has made a huge splash since arriving with the Minnesota Vikings. He fell into the team’s lap during the 2020 NFL Draft Other than that, there isn’t a player under the age of 25 on the roster that would be considered an essential part of the team’s roster.
Spielman’s struggles in the draft have led Minnesota to rely on free agents, especially on defense. The Vikings spent quite a bit to bring in Patrick Peterson, Bashaud Breeland, Xavier Woods, Dalvin Tomlinson, and Michael Pierce while spending extra money on Anthony Barr to keep him around.
Offensively, the same struggles are there. It’s easy to point to the offensive line, quarterbacks, and wide receivers as areas where drafted players have failed to develop into key pieces for the team. Dalvin Cook and Brian O’Neill have been the only real exceptions with Christian Darrisaw looking good.
Add in some head-scratching trades like ones for Kaare Vedvik and Chris Herndon along with a baffling situation with Yannick Ngakoue, and you have a team that is overreacting to a lack of young talent to fill the roster. However, he has shown an exceptional ability to get compensation for players he is trading away.
Spielman may get another opportunity to prove that it’s not his drafting but the lack of development that is causing some of this team’s struggles, but if he does, his seat would have to be quite warm moving forward.