Long before Brian Asamoah had his name called off the draft board—and even longer before he was in a Minnesota Vikings practice jersey at a rookie minicamp—he was hoping he’d have an opportunity to shake Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s hand.
“The first thing [Asamoah] said when I met him at his pro day was how much he was looking forward to meeting Kwesi. He’s from Ghana, and he just really wanted to shake his hand,” Vikings director of college scouting Mike Sholiton said at a media conference. “I think when the call finally came through, my first thought was Brian is going to get a chance to do more than shake Kwesi’s hand.”
A tearjerker of a phone conversation ensued between Adofo-Mensah and Asamoah after the Vikings used the No. 66 overall pick of the 2022 NFL draft to select the Oklahoma linebacker.
It all culminated into a face-to-face meeting on the football field to kick-start minicamp. Asamoah got a handshake, a hug and an opportunity to fulfill his dream of being a professional football player.
Love to see this 🇬🇭 https://t.co/24J8M0RSGr pic.twitter.com/l6xmKiGeLL
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) May 13, 2022
Dreams come true when you have the desire and put in the work to turn them into reality.
Adofo-Mensah’s long journey to being selected as the Vikings’ general manager is a testament to that point. And the same can be said about Asamoah, the kid from St. Francis DeSales that made it to the NFL.
Buckle up, this journey is going to be a fun one.
