Redrafting the Minnesota Vikings 2022 rookie class
By Adam Patrick
Third-Round Pick (66th overall)
Original Selection: Brian Asamoah – LB (Oklahoma)
Redraft Selection: Nakobe Dean – LB (Georgia)
Heading into the 2022 NFL Draft, former Georgia linebacker Nakobe Dean seemed like a lock to be selected in the first round. But, surprisingly, no team used a pick on Dean in either of the first two rounds of this year’s draft.
When it came time for the Vikings to make their selection in the third round, they decided to pass on Dean as well, and they used their pick on former Oklahoma linebacker Brian Asamoah.
While Asamoah could turn out to be a solid player for Minnesota, Dean has a much higher ceiling and he certainly has the potential to develop into an elite linebacker.
After multiple reports indicated that the former Georgia linebacker slipped into the third round because of injury concerns, the Vikings using a third-round selection on him would have easily been worth the risk.
Even if Dean needed extra time to recover from any injuries he’s still dealing with, Minnesota could afford to let him take his time to heal since they already have Jordan Hicks and Eric Kendricks at the top of their inside linebacker depth chart.