Did anyone really think general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah wasn’t going to address the defensive side of the ball in the 2022 NFL draft?
The Minnesota Vikings general manager has basically acknowledged offense is the team’s bread and butter with four of his first five selections coming on the defensive side of the ball. Missouri cornerback Akayleb Evans was the pick at No. 118 after a trade with the Cleveland Browns.
The trade sent the 156th pick of the draft, along with a future fourth-rounder in 2023, to Cleveland so the Vikings could continue to bolster their defensive backfield.
Standing at 6-foot-2 and 197 pounds, Evans has the prototypical size to jam up receivers and contest passes at the high point. The biggest problem has been his injury history. He has only played in more than nine games once in a college season.
After transferring from Tulsa to the University of Missouri, he compiled 28 tackles, one interception and six pass deflections in the tougher SEC division.
Along with availability concerns, Evans clearly needs to work on his footwork. The physical gifts are all there, but his overall technique could use some cleaning up.
However, he’s still a great in-house project for a cornerback-needy room that already has Patrick Peterson, Andrew Booth Jr., Chandon Sullivan and Cameron Dantzler.
