It’s already pretty well known that the Vikings have a young roster, and with a young Head Coach and GM, it seems likely that the Vikings could attract younger players looking for a fresh, never-seen-before playing scheme. The Vikings ranked 23rd in terms of average age of the roster with an average age of 26 years one month, and 11 days. With the departure of some veterans such as Adam Thielen, Patrick Peterson, Candon Sullivan, Kris Boyd, and Dalvin Tomlinson, that number will surely go down by a somewhat significant margin.
Vikings fans coined the phrase ‘Let Kwesi Cook’ for the draft, referring to Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. In the first round, the Vikings took USC wide receiver Jordan Addison, assuming he will replace Adam Thielen as the WR2 for the Vikings. Some fans loved it, some fans hated it. In my opinion, it’s a good pick, but it’s not what the Vikings needed to be completely successful in the 2023-2024 NFL Season.
After the draft, the average age of the Vikings WR group is around 23 years and 3 months, with the oldest player being newly signed Brandon Powell at 27 years old. Now, 27 may seem like enough for veteran leadership of this young room, but this is Powell’s first year in Minnesota, and therefore also has to learn the ropes of the organization. When Justin Jefferson entered the league, Adam Thielen was 30 and had been with the Vikings organization for 7 years. He was a well-established, well-respected veteran to all the players, and every player knew what he meant to the organization, and he was able to mentor Justin Jefferson properly.
With Justin Jefferson already looking like a seasoned NFL veteran just 3 years into his NFL career, we could see him step up as a mentor for the young talent within the Vikings’ wide receiver room, but his limited experience may also limit what he can teach these young receivers.
One benefit to all this is that the Vikings’ wide receiver coach, Keenan McCardell played 17 seasons in the NFL as a wide receiver, and also won a super bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This could be the type of leadership that the Vikings need with such a young receiving core, but without a lengthy veteran receiver on the roster or depth chart, it’s hard to tell to what extent McCardell can mentor this young receiving group.
All in all, the Vikings have set themselves up for the future with the addition of Jordan Addison. Kwesi and O’Connell know what they’re doing. However, without the presence of a veteran wide receiver within a group of extremely young wide receivers, this could pose a larger problem to the Vikings organization if not handled or mentored properly.
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