Post-Draft NFL Power Rankings: Vikings in Back Half of League Heading Into 2022
New Vikings, same as the old Vikings?
That's the feeling national writers seem to have about Minnesota heading into the 2022 season. And it's not exactly unwarranted. Despite bringing in a new head coach and general manager and making several major additions, this roster still has mostly the same shape and feel to it because of the extension of Kirk Cousins.
The Vikings are betting on some key players staying health, new players having big impacts, and most of all, a new coaching staff getting more out of the current core. It could work out. But judging by four post-draft power rankings articles, it doesn't appear that national expectations for the Vikings are all that high right now.
Here's where Minnesota is ranked, and why:
Bleacher Report Staff: No. 22
The Minnesota Vikings just cannot (or will not) quit Kirk Cousins. There's a new head coach in Minnesota this year in Kevin O'Connell. A new general manager in Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. But the same old so-so quarterback, after the Vikings decided to extend Cousins again.
We can talk about free-agent signings like linebacker Jordan Hicks and edge-rusher Za'Darius Smith. Or about a draft class headlined by safety Lewis Cine and cornerback Andrew Booth Jr.—a duo badly needed to upgrade a leaky Minnesota pass defense.But in the most important respect, the 2022 Vikings aren't that much different than the 2021 Vikings. Or the 2020 Vikings.
This team will go as far as Cousins takes them. And that probably means not bad enough for a top-five draft pick but not good enough for the NFC North championship.
Pete Prisco, CBS Sports: No. 20
New coach Kevin O'Connell inherits a team that should be able roll up big numbers on offense. The question is the defense, but they will be better on that side than they were a year ago after spending a lot of draft capital on it.
Nate Davis, USA Today: No. 17
New GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has quietly but wisely upgraded a 30th-ranked defense since free agency opened, and it may be enough to row this franchise into a dark horse postseason berth.
Dan Hanzus, NFL.com: No. 22
Do the Vikings have regrets about how their first draft went with new general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah at the controls? It's fair to wonder. Minnesota traded out of the No. 12 overall pick, passing on a potential generational talent at safety in Kyle Hamilton in order to land ... a different safety (Georgia standout Lewis Cine) with the 32nd pick. The team they did business with — the division-rival Lions — used that 12th selection to add a hugely promising wide receiver talent in Jameson Williams. The Vikings did add an extra third-round pick in the swap with Detroit, but second-guessing is easy with this one. Do the Vikings feel better now than they did at the end of a disappointing 2021 season?
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