5 Minnesota Vikings who could be labeled busts after the 2023 season

Viking No. 5

GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah

There are plenty of fans who have already begun to turn on the Vikings' young general manager. His first draft class was riddled with injury and lacked production and he also has made some trades that have fans scratching their heads. If he doesn't get some production from his rookies and free-agent signings this year, the bust volume will start to be cranked up.

Kwesi needs to have a few of his draft picks hit this season. He's got some players in prime positions to do just that. Brian Asamoah is going to start, Akayleb Evans looks to be a starter as well, and if Mekhi Blackmon and Jordan Addison can have key roles, the early narrative that he's a bad drafter will start to go away.

It would also be helpful if he's able to extend TJ Hockenson and Justin Jefferson. Locking those two elite players in purple for the long term would be a major positive for his tenure. It would also be a boost if Byron Murphy and Marcus Davenport have the impact that many assume they will, and if Alexander Mattison can handle a full workload at running back, it'll prove he made the right decision on letting Dalvin Cook go.

But if those things don't happen, or his draft picks are again prone to injury, the bust label will get tossed around. The NFL is a win-now league, and while ownership may be willing to stick it out a little longer the fanbase will turn and turn hard.