4 common draft tendencies the Vikings should avoid in 2022

Drafting to fit a scheme

Drafting to fit a scheme is a common mistake that many teams make and they’ll probably always make. Coaches are a stubborn bunch and are always looking for their types of players.

This happens on both sides of the ball as offensive line coaches may want more athletic guards to fit their zone-blocking scheme, and certain defensive coaches may be looking for specific traits in corners that fit the coverages they like to employ.

This often leads to reaches and overall less-talented players getting drafted before better ones. Good players are good for a reason. Not only are they athletically gifted and likely also physically imposing, but they are also very smart, focused, and driven. They can adapt to any scheme through hard work and putting in the extra time.

Another thing to factor in is that a coach may not be around as long as a player. Offensive and defensive assistants come and go just about every year, and just because a team is running one scheme in a player’s first year, it doesn’t mean that same scheme will be used in year two or three.

Kwesi and his staff should draft the best player available, and not the best one that fits a certain scheme, or his first draft could be seen as a very bad one in a few years.