Former Vikings Top Pick is Changing His Position for New Team

It feels like ages ago that Kwesi Adofo-Mensah ran his first NFL Draft as a general manager. In reality, that infamous 2022 Minnesota Vikings disaster Draft was just 2.5 years ago. The top pick from that April, safety Lewis Cine out of Georgia, is no longer on roster.

For those of you who may have already forgotten, the Vikings drafted Cine with the No. 31 pick overall, in April of 2022, after trading out of No. 12 overall. Not only did Kwesi kill all the great vibes inside the Vikings draft room and draft party… he then finished an underwhelming night by selecting one of the biggest draft busts in franchise history.

Where is Lewis Cine these days? He’s in Buffalo. That’s where he landed after the Vikings waived him at the end of the 2024 NFL preseason. Upon his departure, it was originally believed he was signing with the New York Jets. But he was not a part of the London loss vs Minnesota, over the weekend, which led to the firing of their head coach.

Former Minnesota Vikings safety Lewis Cine now plays linebacker

Before his joining the Jets became official, Cine changed his mind and signed with the Buffalo Bills. And now, it sounds like he is having second thoughts about the position he plays, too. Actually, his new team is having second thoughts.

According to Nick Sabato (Niagara Gazette), the Bills approached Lewis Cine about changing positions a few weeks ago, and he has been working as a Buffalo inside linebacker ever since.

Cine felt he needed a fresh start after two frustrating seasons with the Vikings. Little did he know, that would include a position change as the Bills have spent the last few weeks giving Cine a try at linebacker.

Early in his stint with the Bills, defensive coordinator Bobby Babich approached Cine about switching from safety to linebacker. … The Bills like their linebackers to be small and athletic so they can match up with running backs, linebackers and occasionally a receiver.

Nick Sabato – Niagara Gazette

Unlike the Vikings, Buffalo plays a base- 4-3 defense, but mostly lineup out of their nickel package, with 5 defensive backs on the field, and just two linebackers. Lewis Cine told the Niagara Gazette that this is the first time he has ever played linebacker. He and the Bills are selling to Sabato that “football instincts are football instincts”.

Method behind Buffalo Bills’ madness

There are so many differences in going from safety to linebacker. One pointed out in the above story, that I found very insightful, is a safety’s first step, after the ball is snapped, vs a linebacker. A safety is almost always going back, where as a linebacker’s first movement is much more dictated by the type of play being run on offense.

Cine is placing his bet on the NFL not being quite as ruthless as it is rumored to be. He and the Bills seem to have an understanding. If he is going to change positions, and set back his development even further, they have to give him time on roster to learn how to be a linebacker. Patience the Vikings did not have.

Cine feels the Bills have embraced him and he wants to return the favor by investing in what they are trying to teach.

“I’ve shown that I’m willing to learn and I pick up things kind of fast when it comes to movement and everything, but there’s obviously the learning portion of schemes and all that,” Cine said. “Learning the fronts, that doesn’t just happen in a day. That part, I know they’re being patient, but at the same time, I’ve shown I’m a ballplayer and obviously that’s going to continue.”

Niagara Gazette

Skeptical optimism…

I don’t think this is a horrible idea for the Buffalo Bills or Lewis Cine. I do wonder, however, if the end goal is feasible. If Lewis Cine had shown Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores that he had any potential as a linebacker, you’d think staying with the Vikings would have made the most sense.

Flores’ defense in Minnesota literally has a hybrid safety/linebacker role that they call their “big nickel” package, and the Vikings use it all the time. It’s Josh Metellus’ primary position. Cine came out of Georgia as a hard-hitting safety, who needed time to develop.

Flores clearly didn’t think he had any hope of making that transition, otherwise he most certainly would have tried, given what the Vikings invested in Cine when they drafted him in the first round. Hopefully I am wrong. Who knows what Lewis would have been, had his leg not snapped in half a couple of years ago. If he can find a way to salvage his career, that’d be a cool redemption story.