3 biggest disappointments from the Vikings preseason loss to the Titans

Player No. 1

Lewis Cine - S

This will be a polarizing decision depending on how you view Lewis Cine’s night. If you look at his seven tackles and a sack, you would think the former first-round pick had a great night. If you saw his third-down stop and tackle on Malik Willis, you would think his development is going well.

But if you saw the big picture, Cine could be on his way to becoming a major disappointment.

Cine has been working behind Harrison Smith, Camryn Bynum, and Josh Metellus all offseason and even played into the third quarter on Saturday night. While there were some positive moments, there were other negatives, such as a missed tackle that helped Tyjae Spears rip off a 33-yard touchdown run in the first quarter.

Playing Cine as much as possible is a great idea, as he’s coming off a season-ending injury last September. But it also shows how far he has to go to be a viable piece to Brian Flores’s defense.

Although Kevin O’Connell said that Cine “is in a great place,” it’s fair to question his ceiling moving forward. While the Vikings were hoping they got a versatile defender when they selected him in the first round of the 2022 draft, he might be no better than a solid role player.

Not every draft pick made is going to turn into a superstar, but the Vikings had a better chance of landing one had they taken Kyle Hamilton with the 12th overall pick as opposed to trading down to take Cine, Andrew Booth Jr., and Brian Asamoah.

This shouldn’t cost Cine a roster spot, but it’s a little disappointing, considering what the Vikings could have had in that draft.