On the final day of the 2022 NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings added six new players to help them remain competitive during the 2022 season.
In his first NFL Draft as the general manager of the Minnesota Vikings, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah started by placing a heavy emphasis on improving the team’s defense.
Three of Minnesota’s first four picks in this year’s draft came from the defensive side of the ball, and on Saturday, the Vikings added two more players to their defense.
However, Minnesota switched things up a bit with their final few picks in the 2022 draft and selected four players from the offensive side of the ball, including a running back with breakaway speed.
Minnesota Vikings end the 2022 NFL Draft with a total of 10 new players
The Vikings kicked off Saturday by using the No. 118 pick in the fourth round on former Missouri cornerback Akayleb Evans. Then in the fifth round, the Vikings used a pair of selections to add former Minnesota defensive end Esezi Otomewo and former North Carolina running back Ty Chandler.
In the sixth round, the Vikings used two more picks to select former Illinois offensive tackle Vederian Lowe and former Michigan State wide receiver Jalen Nailor.
Minnesota closed out the 2022 draft by using their lone seventh-round pick on former South Carolina tight end Nick Muse.
Of the guys the Vikings added on Saturday, Chandler is probably the most intriguing due to his speed and quickness (40-yard dash in 4.38 seconds). It will also be interesting to see what kind of role he might have as a rookie since Minnesota already has running backs Alexander Mattison and Kene Nwangwu on their roster.
So after three days, the Vikings added 10 new players to their roster, and they made a total of six trades during this year’s draft. If you didn’t know that Minnesota had hired a new general manager this offseason, one might think that Rick Spielman was still calling the shots with the way everything turned out.