A Dubious Distinction for the Vikings’ 2022 Draft Class

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - SEPTEMBER 15: Jalen Nailor #83 of the Minnesota Vikings celebrates scoring a touchdown in the third quarter of the game against the San Francisco 49ers at U.S. Bank Stadium on September 15, 2024 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The book officially closed on the Minnesota Vikings' 2022 NFL Draft class on Tuesday, and not in the way anyone might have imagined it would have when Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O'Connell put together their first group of draftees a little less than four years ago.

With running back Ty Chandler officially agreeing to a deal with the New Orleans Saints on Tuesday afternoon, not one member of the team's ten-man 2022 draft class from 2022 got themselves a second contract with the Vikings.

They're not all out of the league or anything, mind you. But not one of them will suit up for the Vikings again after their rookie deals expired. Let's review the group, shall we?

S Lewis Cine - Cine, the team's first-round pick, broke his leg four games into his rookie season while playing punt coverage. He then appeared in just seven games for the Vikings in 2023, including being a healthy scratch on several occasions, before being one of the team's final cuts in 2024.

CB Andrew Booth Jr. - Booth played in just six games in his rookie season for the Vikings, and followed that up by playing all 17 games in his second year. He was then traded to the Cowboys for Nahshon Wright. He appeared in seven games for the Cowboys and was out of the league in 2025.

G Ed Ingram - Ingram started 32 out of 34 possible games at guard for the Vikings in his first two seasons. He then got benched midway through the 2024 season in favor of Dalton Risner. Before the 2025 season, the Vikings traded him to the Houston Texans for a sixth-round pick. Ingram then went on to play well enough for the Texans to earn himself a three-year, $37.5 million contract extension, because of course he did.

LB Brian Asamoah - Asamoah played primarily on special teams for the Vikings, never playing more than 11% of the defensive snaps in any of his three seasons with the team. He was waived by the Vikings in August of 2025, and made stops in Tennessee and Las Vegas before landing in Cincinnati, where he played the final four games of last year.

CB Akayleb Evans - Evans appeared in ten games as a rookie, and followed that up with a second season that saw him start fifteen games. He was then waived halfway through his third season and was picked up by the Carolina Panthers. He's still in Carolina, as he signed a one-year deal to stay with them just before free agency started.

DL Esezi Otomewo - Otomewo appeared in five games for the Vikings in his rookie season. He was then waived the next year and spent all of 2023 on the Jacksonville Jaguars' practice squad. He spent 2024 in Jacksonville, and then moved on to the Pittsburgh Steelers this past season on a one-year deal. He signed another one-year deal with Pittsburgh just before free agency started.

RB Ty Chandler - One of just two members of the Class of 2022 to even make it through his entire rookie deal with the Vikings. He appeared in just three games in his rookie season and three games this past season, but played in all 17 games in both 2023 and 2024. He just signed with New Orleans, as we mentioned above.

OT Vederian Lowe - Lowe appeared in four games for the Vikings as a rookie in 2022, and was then traded to the New England Patriots in 2023 for a sixth-round pick. He appeared in 42 games for the Patriots with 25 starts (and even caught a touchdown pass), and signed a two-year, $12 million deal with the San Francisco 49ers in free agency last week.

WR Jalen Nailor - The other player from the 2022 class to make it through his rookie deal, Nailor was a productive third receiver for much of his time with the Vikings. He agreed to a three-year, $35 million deal with the Las Vegas Raiders during the legal tampering" period of free agency.

TE Nick Muse - Muse caught one pass for the Vikings in three seasons, spending most of his time bouncing back and forth from the practice squad to the active roster. The Philadelphia Eagles then signed him to their practice squad, and he was there when they defeated the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl. (Hey, at least one guy from this draft class got himself a ring.) He's bounced around to several practice squads since then, and was last with the New York Jets.

So that's it, ladies and gentlemen. . .the sad, awful story of the Minnesota Vikings' 2022 draft class. It's pretty bad. I'm not sure if it's the absolute worst in Vikings' history from a productivity perspective, but it has to be right down near the bottom.