Nope. Still stings.
I’m not ready to call this Minnesota Vikings season done. This season and this team was too damn much fun. With this defense, I’m not sure how much further this team could’ve gone in the playoffs. The San Francisco 49ers would’ve been a formidable foe but one thing that this Vikings team has repeatedly done is surprise. I do know that they should’ve gone further than they did. Could’ve, would’ve, should’ve. Fast approaching 50 years, every Vikings season I’ve ever known has ended with those words. A few have been easy to pack away. The Les Steckel year, injury-ravaged years, transition years, talent-lacking years. This season won’t be easy to pack away. It still stings.
No matter when a team’s season ends, the process to the next season never rests. The day after the 2022 season ended, the Vikings had decisions to make on some of their young players. On Monday, the team announced the signing of six players from the practice squad to futures contracts.
Trishton Jackson, WR
Blake Proehl, WR
Tay Gowan, CB
Nick Muse, TE
Benton Whitley, OLB
Josh Sokol, C
All six now have more 2023 team security than the 15 players slated to become free agents in a couple months.
Dalvin Tomlinson
Patrick Peterson
Chandon Sullivan
Duke Shelley
Garrett Bradbury
Alexander Mattison
Irv Smith Jr.
Jonathan Bullard
Austin Schlottman
Andrew DePaola
Greg Joseph
Olabisi Johnson
Oli Udoh
Nick Mullens
Kris Boyd
It’s a little early to truly get into the possible re-signings of the above players but Dalvin Tomlinson, Duke Shelley, and Andrew DePaola are the players that immediately jump out as must-resigns. Tomlinson is probably the only one of the three that might be pretty pricey. It’d be nice to have several others back but those three stand out.
As for draft position, the loss in the Wild Card round earns the Vikings the 24th pick in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Technically, they will pick 23rd as the Miami Dolphins lost their first round pick for dirty deeds. The Vikings are currently slated to have only four picks in the draft.
1st round
3rd round
4th round (Detroit)
5th round
Where’d the other picks go?
2nd round: The Vikings sent this pick and a 2024 third-round selection to the Detroit Lions for tight end T.J Hockenson, a 2023 fourth-round pick, and a 2024 conditional pick (fourth- or fifth-rounder).
4th round: The Vikings sent this pick (and a 2022 fifth-round pick) to the Cleveland Browns in order to move up in the fourth round of the 2022 draft to select Akayleb Evans.
6th round: The Vikings traded this pick to the Houston Texans for defensive lineman Ross Blacklock.
7th round: This pick has belonged to a few teams over the years. The Vikings originally traded this pick to the Denver Broncos in 2021 for defensive end Stephen Weatherly. The pick currently belongs to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Due to a net free agent loss in the 2022 offseason, the Vikings are expected to receive either a fifth- or two sixth-round compensatory picks. I’ve seen reports of both. That would give them the following picks in the 2023 NFL Draft.
1st round
3rd round
4th round (Detroit)
5th round
5th round
-or
1st round
3rd round
4th round (Detroit)
5th round
6th round
6th round
I can’t decide now which is better.
Not having a pick in the second round is tough but Hockenson is definitely worth it. Who knows? In his first draft, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah turned an early-ish 2022 first round pick into late first round and multiple 2nd round selections.
Now, it’s back to reliving the thrills of a Vikings season that ended far too soon.
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