Two years ago, Lewis Cine was celebrating with family and friends after he was selected in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings.
Since then, things haven't exactly gone as planned for Cine during his tenure with the Vikings. Instead of making an impact on Minnesota's defense, the young safety has barely been on the field, and his time with the team might actually be close to coming to an end.
Just look at what The Athletic's Alec Lewis recently shared about some of the most notable members of the Vikings' secondary from his time at the team's OTA practice on Tuesday.
"When the first-team defense took the field, cornerbacks Shaq Griffin and Akayleb Evans manned the outside spots, while Byron Murphy Jr. slid inside to the slot.
When the Vikings split up into a more advanced group and development group, Mekhi Blackmon competed with the starters, while safety Lewis Cine and cornerback Andrew Booth Jr. operated on the other side of the field."
Lewis Cine still facing uphill battle to make Minnesota Vikings final 2024 roster
The fact that Cine is beginning his third year with Minnesota by working with what Lewis classified as a "development group" does not seem to be a good sign for the young safety.
If the Vikings had selected Cine on Day 3 of the 2022 NFL Draft, then his slow development might be a little easier for the team to understand. But Minnesota likely drafted him with a first-round pick because they believed he could make a significant impact on their defense during his first or second year with the team.
Instead, Cine has logged a grand total of 10 defensive snaps during his first two seasons with the Vikings. And unless something drastically changes in the next few months, he likely won't be adding many more defensive snaps to his current total with Minnesota next season.