How the Vikings draft would've been different if Rick Spielman was still GM

How the Vikings draft would’ve been different if Rick Spielman was still GM

By Nik Edlund | May 7, 2022

TALLAHASSEE, FL - SEPTEMBER 5: Safety Kyle Hamilton #14 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during warm-ups before the start of the game against the Florida State Seminoles at Doak Campbell Stadium on Bobby Bowden Field on September 5, 2021 in Tallahassee, Florida. The Fighting Irish defeated the Seminoles 41 to 38 OT. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images) /

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Kyle Hamilton. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images) /

Kyle Hamilton would’ve been the pick at 12

There is zero question that if Rick Spielman was still in charge of the Minnesota Vikings player personnel decisions, he would’ve stayed at pick 12 and taken Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton.

Rick Spielman loves drafting Notre Dame players and also loves seeing elite talent fall into his lap. Both of those things happened when Hamilton began to slide, and Spielman would’ve been soiling himself with excitement.

Hamilton began to slide due to a slow forty time at the Combine. He also was the victim of over-evaluation as teams watched so much film on him that they were getting too analytical and creating issues that really weren’t there. After a run on wide receivers, he fell to pick 14 and the Baltimore Ravens got themselves a steal.

With the Vikings moving down to pick 32 and taking Lewis Cine, the career paths between the two will always be mirrored. Maybe it will be proven that the Vikings made the right choice, and maybe it’ll be proven they made the wrong one. Whatever ends up happening, it’s clear that Hamilton would be wearing a different shade of purple if Rick Spielman were still the Vikings’ general manager.

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