Year two for the Minnesota Vikings underwhelming 2022 draft class got off to a disappointing start in the team's preseason opener against the Seattle Seahawks.
During his first NFL Draft as the general manager of the Minnesota Vikings, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah wheeled and dealed his way to adding 10 players to his new team's roster.
So far, Adofo-Mensah's inaugural draft class has done very little to make an impact on the Vikings, and this trend continued on Thursday night during the team's 2023 preseason opener against the Seattle Seahawks.
There's still plenty of time for things to turn around, but at this point, there aren't many reasons to be optimistic about the chances of that actually happening.
How did the Minnesota Vikings 2022 draft class perform vs. the Seattle Seahawks?
Let's take a closer look at how each member of Minnesota's 2022 draft class performed during the team's preseason loss to the Seahawks on Thursday.
Lewis Cine - S
PFF Grade: 42.6 (out of 100)
Last year's first-round pick, Lewis Cine, was on the field for 39 of the Vikings' defensive snaps in Seattle, and while he had a number of chances to make a play, he came up short during the majority of his opportunities. Cine struggled as a run defender and a tackler, and he allowed the Seahawks to complete all four of the passes that were thrown while he was in coverage, including a 29-yard pass in the second quarter.
Andrew Booth Jr. - CB
PFF Grade: 56.8
Despite Byron Murphy Jr. not playing, Andrew Booth Jr. didn't get the start in Seattle, and that's a bit alarming for someone Minnesota drafted in the second round a year ago. Booth logged 32 defensive snaps on Thursday, and during the 18 snaps that he was in pass coverage, he was only targeted once. However, the lone target resulted in a 19-yard touchdown for the Seahawks after the second-year Vikings corner was easily beaten deep.
Ed Ingram - RG
PFF Grade: 52.1
Ed Ingram was the only one of Minnesota's five starting offensive linemen to get some playing time in Seattle and the extra reps were probably for the best. 10 of his 18 offensive snaps were as a pass blocker, and his performance made it clear that it's still an area of his game that he struggles with.
Brian Asamoah - ILB
Did not play.
Akayleb Evans - CB
PFF Grade: 71.9
Many believe Akayleb Evans is on track to begin the regular season as one of the Vikings' two starting outside cornerbacks, and he showed why on Thursday. Evans was only on the field for 15 snaps, but in his limited opportunities in pass coverage and as a run defender, he performed well.
Esezi Otomewo - DL
PFF Grade: 51.0
Esezi Otomewo got a significant amount of playing time against the Seahawks (37 total snaps), but unfortunately, he didn't do much to stand out with his extra chances out on the field. Otomewo was able to generate two pressures, but he struggled as a run defender and as a tackler on Thursday night.
Ty Chandler - RB
PFF Grade: 78.3
Easily one of the most impressive performers in Seattle, Ty Chandler is battling for the No. 2 running back job behind Alexander Mattison, and he did enough on Thursday (70 total yards on 15 touches) to take a slight lead over Kene Nwangwu for the job.
Vederian Lowe - OT
PFF Grade: 59.8
Vederian Lowe got more offensive snaps than any other Vikings player against the Seahawks, and it was made clear that he still has plenty of work to do. During Lowe's 41 snaps in pass protection, he allowed four pressures, tied for the most on Minnesota's roster on Thursday with rookie center Alan Ali.
Jalen Nailor - WR
Did not play.
Nick Muse - TE
PFF Grade: 55.9
The Vikings' 10th and final pick of the 2022 draft, Nick Muse wound up scoring Minnesota's only touchdown of the game after hauling in a short four-yard pass from Vikings quarterback Nick Mullens in the second quarter. Muse was on the field for a total of 42 snaps in Seattle and he finished with three catches for 10 yards and one touchdown.
(All stats, grades, and snap counts courtesy of PFF unless otherwise stated.)