3 Vikings scapegoats from their Week 3 loss to the Chargers

Viking No. 3

Kwesi Adofo-Mensah - General Manager

Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is now in his second season in the Vikings general manager position. He has been far from perfect, but the immense blame that he has been receiving lately is questionable.

Of course, a 0-3 start doesn't help his case much, but it's not on Adofo-Mensah to get the players in position to stop fumbling the ball away.

The biggest knock on him is his 2022 draft class, which has been very poor. Lewis Cine, Andrew Booth Jr., Brian Asamoah, and Ed Ingram really do show just how poor of a return that draft got.

Cine was easily the biggest headscratcher from that class, as Adofo-Mensah traded down in order to get him, and it has looked like a major failure on his part. Booth just hasn't panned out as a prospect, but it's hard to fault Adofo-Mensah for taking a cornerback who was a consensus selection at that spot.

Ingram is certainly a "bust," while Asamoah has seemingly declined after a rookie season in which he showed promise. There is still hope for Asamoah and his incredible raw ability, but the task is on the Vikings coaches to get him right.

The jury is still out on Adofo-Mensah's 2023 class, though it is already showing a lot of promise, headed by wide receiver Jordan Addison. With some very impressive UDFA signings too, like linebacker Ivan Pace Jr., the 2023 rookie class has its potential.

Adofo-Mensah's signings over his two-year stint have been a mixed bag, with pass rusher Marcus Davenport and defensive lineman Dean Lowry already looking like massive whiffs, but the extensions for safety Josh Metellus and tight end T.J. Hockenson seem to be great business moves.

The Hockenson extension was confusing at the time, but now that the dust has settled, it's clear that it's not as egregious as people believed. If Adofo-Mensah can sign Justin Jefferson and Christian Darrisaw to extensions sometime in the near future, the rage against him should subside, even with a poor record.

Adofo-Mensah has had his ups and downs, but for a general manager who took over one of the more intriguing situations in the NFL, he has shown confidence that he can set things straight.

Not to kick people while they're down, but if you look at the division rival Chicago Bears and their second-year general manager Ryan Poles, who was hired nearly the same time as Adofo-Mensah, you can see how far south things could have gone for Minnesota.

Adofo-Mensah still has a lot of work to do, but it's too early to give up hope on the young general manager. As the fans love to say online: Let Kwesi cook.