Kwesi Might Have More On the Line Than Any Prospect At the Combine

When the NFL arrives in Indianapolis for next week’s scouting combine, lives will be changed. Hundreds of players with professional aspirations will be running through events, stressful interviews, and the most extensive physical you’ve ever seen in an effort to be selected by a team in the 2025 NFL Draft.

But if you think running the 40-yard dash is a pressure cooker, imagine what it feels like for the executives.

Kwesi Adofo-Mensah will enter Indianapolis as one of the general managers with the most to prove. Kevin O'Connell already has his contract extension. However, Adofo-Mensah is waiting for his as the Wilf family presumably wants to see the result of his third offseason with the team.

While offensive linemen will be doing the shuttle drill, Adofo-Mensah may be doing the St. Elmo’s Shuffle. While prospects will be doing a bench press, Adofo-Mensah could be sitting on a bench discussing a contract with several agents. It’s a situation where his future could be on the line and one he has to absolutely crush.

The reason is simple. While the Vikings have gone 34-17 since hiring Adofo-Mensah in 2022, people have given O'Connell a lot of the credit. That will happen when your head coach

Adofo-Mensah started the 2022 offseason at a disadvantage. He replaced Rick Spielman in late January and had to prepare for the draft in April. Still, nobody is going to feel sorry for him in the cutthroat environment of the NFL, and Adofo-Mensah deserves part of the blame for one of the worst draft classes in franchise history.

First-round pick Lewis Cine just won a Super Bowl, but it was on the back end of the Philadelphia Eagles’ roster after the Vikings released him last August. The controversial trade down with the Detroit Lions also was a demerit because it led to Minnesota drafting Andrew Booth, Ed Ingram, and Brian Asamoah.

Akayleb Evans, Esezi Otomewo, Vederian Lowe, and fellow Super Bowl champion Nick Muse are no longer with the team. Ty Chandler and Jalen Nailor appear to be role players at best as they enter the final year of their rookie contracts.

The 2023 draft class didn’t help Adofo-Mensah’s case either. Jordan Addison is a highly talented player but has already had two run-ins with the law, including a July 2024 DUI that will likely result in a multi-game suspension to begin next year. Mekhi Blackmon has looked promising but tore his ACL during his first training camp practice.

Jay Ward is a fringe special teams player, while Jaquelin Roy, Jaren Hall, and DeWayne McBride are no longer with the team.

It's too early to tell what they got with last year's draft class. Khyree Jackson tragically passed in a car accident. However, the class is filled with projects, including Walter Rouse, Michael Jurgens, and Levi Drake Rodriguez, who all spent most of last season as gameday inactives.

J.J. McCarthy and Dallas Turner had minimal impact in their rookie season. McCarthy got injured in the preseason and could turn everything around if he becomes the franchise quarterback many believe he will become. However, Turner couldn’t churn out a consistent role playing behind Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel.

Not every GM is going to have a 100% hit rate in the draft. However, after three classes, Adofo-Mensah’s 30% hit rate (i.e., players who regularly make the game-day roster) must improve. It makes an event known as “The Underwear Olympics” mean a little more to Adofo-Mensah. However, he could use the great equalizer: free agency.

While the nation watches everyone run, lift, and throw perfect passes without a 300 lb. man trying to delete them, the most intriguing part of the combine may be what people don’t see. It’s in the back room of St. Elmo’s steakhouse where GMs write up first drafts on contracts that magically come together within the first 20 minutes of the NFL’s “legal tampering” window.

The Vikings played a prominent part in this role when Kirk Cousins drafted his four-year, $180 million contract with the Atlanta Falcons. But Adofo-Mensah has also done plenty of work behind the scenes at the combine.

While Mike McCartney was having shrimp cocktails with Terry Fontenot, Adofo-Mensah was busy negotiating with Danielle Hunter’s camp. When that fell through, he used Hunter’s money and Cousins’ departure to go crazy in free agency, signing Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, and Blake Cashman.

Each of these signings occurred on the first day, and you would be crazy to think they just came together in 15 to 20 minutes. It’s a process the Vikings could replicate as they enter this offseason with $63.3 million in cap space and need on the offensive and defensive lines, cornerback, and running back.

When you consider this, it’s not just the prospects with something on the line. For Adofo-Mensah, this year’s combine could determine whether he remains connected to O’Connell or is looking for a new job at next year’s combine.