Kevin O'Connell & Kwesi Adofo-Mensah Discuss Vikings 2024 Outlook & Roster Decisions

EAGAN, Minn. — Kwesi Adofo-Mensah heeds advice from his mom when he's faced with a setback: "Wake up and work."

The third-year general manager addressed media members at Vikings headquarters Thursday, filling the air with excitement about the 2024 roster. He also went in-depth on the difficulty of making projections.

Projecting player and team success. Projecting growth curves, scheme fits and character under pressure.

It's difficult to predict how a collection of players will perform together. Of course, there's a little more known about veterans because of their histories – and a little less known about young players.

The 2022 NFL Draft was the subject of multiple questions after Minnesota moved on from high-draft picks Lewis Cine and Andrew Booth, Jr., recently. Adofo-Mensah was candid about his mindset.

He self-scouts his processes and weighs outcomes but can't account for everything.

Adofo-Mensah also was asked about the 2024 outlook and big-picture plans.

"You're trying to hit that magical craps roll where a lot of things happen together at once," Adofo-Mensah commented. "You do projections, but you're just projecting what could happen."

For instance, projecting which two or three unproven players may step up any given season. There may be five, six or seven capable players, Adofo-Mensah explained, but the odds of each emerging are longer.

"You could build a Monte Carlo simulation," said Adofo-Mensah, showing off his economics background with reference to a mathematical technique that predicts the probability of outcome variances.

Doing so involves studying players at an individual level to determine their peak performance, examining reports such as injury history, age, ascension, etc. Hold everybody else in a constant state and tweak the variables to that player's success on the field, and you'll get a good sense of a team's potential.

One by one. For all 53 players.

"Am I doing that these days? No, I'm not," Adofo-Mensah grinned. "But I am going through and saying, 'Hey, big picture, what are the key things that we need to happen to have this team be one of those good teams that I want to be?' … "Here are the things that we think need to happen for us to be one of those last teams standing, and [I'm] doing that in a really thoughtful and constructive way."

In his opening remarks, Adofo-Mensah spoke to the rigorous process of trimming the Vikings roster to 53: "As I said when I first got here, the best thing you can do is know what you have inside this building."

Here are four other takeaways from the media sessions with Adofo-Mensah and Head Coach Kevin O'Connell.

1. Myles Gaskin has impressed Vikings brass

Myles Gaskin played sparingly on special teams for Minnesota last season, but the veteran running back seems to have won over Adofo-Mensah and O'Connell with his improvement.

"[We're] really, really excited about what he did this training camp," said Adofo-Mensah, adding Gaskin returned in incredible shape and has displayed an admirable work ethic of his own accord. "Kevin and I have the glass windows where we can kind of look out on the field, and you see a guy after game day doing all kinds of drills just deciding for himself, 'I want to be the best version of myself for this team.' "

Gaskin was released earlier this week but re-signed to Minnesota's practice squad Wednesday.

There's ample time left before the first game, but he's being considered for kick-return duties and to help out at running back, where the Vikings have Aaron Jones, Sr., and Ty Chandler on the 53-man roster.

O'Connell echoed Adofo-Mensah's evaluation that Gaskin's diverse skill set could help the Vikings on special teams and offense, adding context to the decision to waive running back Kene Nwangwu.

"That move was about Myles Gaskin [and] his versatility to really be a true three-down back," said O'Connell, noting he earned the opportunity "from a standpoint of what he had improved on during his time here; the work he put in that really changed his physical style as a player; from the quickness to the strength to some of the things that showed up in the non-returning phase of the kicking game."

From pass-protection to running off tackle to returning – and possibly covering – kicks, Gaskin gives the Vikings a player with 17 career starts in addition to Jones and Chandler.

2. Construction of DBs group

The Vikings defensive backs room looks quite a bit different heading into the regular season than it did at the start of the offseason. Adofo-Mensah and O'Connell have had to navigate difficult circumstances that started with rookie Khyree Jackson tragically being killed in a July car accident. The team then lost Mekhi Blackmon for the season to a torn ACL. Most recently, Minnesota parted ways with 2022 draft picks Lewis Cine (waived) and Andrew Booth, Jr. (traded to Dallas).

Free agent addition Shaq Griffin missed most of training camp with an injury but is expected to be ready to go for the season, and the Vikings also signed veteran All-Pro Stephon Gilmore. Undrafted rookie Dwight McGlothern impressed throughout the preseason and earned himself a spot on the team’s initial 53-man roster.

"We like how we played defense last year, but we wanted to give ourselves the flexibility to be a little more versatile, maybe play a little bit more man to cover defense," Adofo-Mensah explained. "So we went out, decided to figure out how to give ourselves an ability to do that – loving the people we have in the building but also trying to give ourselves other options. And I think we've done that with an eye on today, but also the future.

"We love keeping Dwight McGlothern, [who] we think is potentially a really good player. We have Mekhi Blackmon … coming back next year. We have Akayleb [Evans]. We have different players to be thinking [about], and we love that they're in a room with Stephon Gilmore and a Byron Murphy, Jr., to learn from," he added. "We responded, and we feel good about the direction that group is headed."

3. Reflection on 2022 NFL Draft

In light of moving on from Cine and Booth, Adofo-Mensah and O'Connell each were asked about their thoughts on the overall impact of the Vikings 2022 NFL Draft and how it's impacted rosters since and in the future.

Adofo-Mensah acknowledged the disappointment that things never came to full fruition with the pair of defensive backs.

"I think when you look at decisions, you try and break them into outcomes. What happens? Bad outcomes, good outcomes, whatever they are. And bad outcomes can happen from a lot of things – bad decision making, bad process, bad information, bad implementation when they get here, bad support. There's a lot of different ways that that can," he said. "So you're always, [in] real time, trying to evaluate how you're doing it as an organization – not just for the good of the organization, but the good of the person. And I think at times, you get to a place where you decide where that roster spot, that value received, is better used elsewhere, and it also might be better for that player.

"When we bring these players in, we talk about people in this culture being important to us, and it's not just about what's great for us; it's what's great for them," Adofo-Mensah continued. "And if it gets to a place where from both sides, you decide it's best if you part ways, I think that's when you do it. And ultimately, I have [utmost] respect and admiration for those guys, for what they've meant to the Vikings to this point. They wanted nothing more than to be great Minnesota Vikings. And life doesn't always work out the way you want it to, and sometimes, for life's benefit, it doesn't, but I will always be supportive of them. My relationships were not transactional with these players. They have my number forever, and I wish them the best."

O'Connell also spoke about the topic and recognized the shortened timeline he and Adofo-Mensah were on in their first season in Minnesota, due to O'Connell coaching for the Rams in Super Bowl LVI. He also pointed out that adversity will always be something to be dealt with, and there are still encouraging takeaways from that first draft.

"I'm never going to make an excuse for coaching until Feb. 13 of that season. That was a real benefit to help me be better at my job … but there was less time," O'Connell said. "I think from the Wednesday I was introduced to you guys, I think the combine might have been a week-and-a-half later at that point. So we were compressed for time, trying to trust in building some immediate processes and the things we believed in and talked about in the interview process. But truly building upon that, from that first draft – both the positives of it, like a Jalen Nailor and Ty Chandler and some of the players deeper into the draft. There was some collaboration between [receivers coach] Keenan McCardell, Kwesi, myself, his staff – 'This Nailor guy, we think he can play.' Or [running backs coach] Curtis Modkins, myself and Kwes' talking about Ty Chandler and what he can inevitably become. I think there was some real things we can pull out of that draft that have been positives that can help us move forward."

4. T.J. Hockenson update

Adofo-Mensah was asked about projected timeline for tight end T.J. Hockenson, who is currently on the Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform list – meaning the earliest he would be able to return would be Week 5 in London. Hockenson is recovering from surgery after suffering a torn ACL in Week 16.

Media members who have attended open practices have seen Hockenson working out and running routes on a side field with training staff, and Adofo-Mensah acknowledged the impressive progress he's made.

"He's out there running choice routes. He looks like he could go tomorrow," Adofo-Mensah said. "I think in the past, maybe that's something that would have been more of a given, given how he looks, but we'll continue to consult with doctors. There's a lot of good evidence that suggests certain timelines are better for re-injury risk going forward, and we'll follow those."