Tumultuous Week 11 cements legacy of Vikings 2022 draft class
By Adam Patrick
On the evening of Thursday, April 28, 2022, former Georgia safety Lewis Cine became the first player to be selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the NFL Draft since the team's decision to hire Kwesi Adofo-Mensah as its new general manager a few months earlier.
Adofo-Mensah and the Vikings went on to select a total of 10 players in the 2022 draft, and heading into Week 12 of the current season, it's become even more clear that this group will go down as one of the worst draft classes in the history of the franchise.
Many already had a negative opinion about Minnesota's 2022 draft class, but those thoughts likely increased following the events that took place before and during the team's Week 11 win over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.
Week 11 vs. the Tennessee Titans made things even worse for the Minnesota Vikings 2022 draft class
Before Sunday's game against the Titans even began, we learned that the Vikings had decided to bench starting right guard Ed Ingram and replace him with Dalton Riser. Ingram was one of two players selected by Minnesota in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft, with the other being cornerback Andrew Booth Jr., who is currently a member of the Dallas Cowboys practice squad.
Prior to Sunday, Ingram had started 41 games for the Vikings at right guard, and he had arguably had the most success of anyone from the team's 2022 draft class (that's not saying much, though). However, he has struggled mightily as a pass-blocker throughout his tenure with Minnesota, and the team had clearly become fed up with his inability to not give up pressures to opposing pass rushers.
Then there was the forgettable afternoon had by Vikings wide receiver Jalen Nailor on Sunday. Nailor, who Minnesota selected in the sixth round of the 2022 draft, actually got off to a hot start this season, with touchdown catches in each of his first three games. But he's cooled down since then, and his performance this past weekend was below-freezing.
Nailor was only targeted twice on Sunday, but he managed to drop both passes, including a dime from Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold that hit him right in the chest that would have resulted in a 44-yard touchdown catch for the Minnesota receiver.
Lastly, the neverending descent of Vikings running back Ty Chandler also continued on Sunday in Tennessee. Chandler, who Minnesota picked in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, logged only a single snap on offense against the Titans, which is the third time in the Vikings' last four games that he's been on the field for two offensive snaps or less.
Instead, the Minnesota running back has been relegated to special teams as a kick returner and a member of the coverage units. Chandler did have one solid kick return for 35 yards on Sunday, but he also drew a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty when he delivered a late hit to Titans wide receiver Jha'Quan Jackson on a punt return.
The Vikings 2022 draft class really didn't need more evidence to prove that it is one of the worst in team history, but that's exactly what happened during the team's Week 11 win over Tennessee.