Vikings make surprising roster move that bring more criticism to frustrating 2022 NFL Draft class
The Minnesota Vikings draft class in 2022 has been a disaster and it's seemingly getting worse. On Saturday morning, the Vikings waived cornerback Akayleb Evans. The move came as a relatively bitg surprise considering the timing, as Evans has been a core special teams player so far this year. Evans' career has not gone well […]
The Minnesota Vikings draft class in 2022 has been a disaster and it's seemingly getting worse.
On Saturday morning, the Vikings waived cornerback Akayleb Evans. The move came as a relatively bitg surprise considering the timing, as Evans has been a core special teams player so far this year.
Evans' career has not gone well over the last year. He did start 17 games over the first two seasons of his career. At the end of the 2023 season, Evans struggled so much that he got benched for Andrew Booth Jr., who the Vikings traded this August to the Dallas Cowboys. Evans had just played three defensive snaps this season.
The move is just another example of how poor the 2022 NFL Draft class was for the Vikings. It was the first one led by general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah as he had been on the job for just three months.
It's certainly frustrating that those 10 picks has netted backups at running back, wide receiver, linebacker and tight end with a fringe starter at right guard. That's a bad draft class when you look at it, especially when your first two picks and three of your top five are off the roster before end of their rookie contracts.
The one thing that bodes well for the Vikings is how much Adofo-Mensah has evolved his process. The Vikings aren't using the same evaluation process from both a front office, metrics and tape standpoint. It's good that he's shown that evolution, as it's the sign of a good general manager.
There is a chance the Vikings choose to bring him back on the practice squad, but it seems to be over for Evans.
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