Getty Lewis Cine #36 of the Buffalo Bills.
Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has faced scrutiny over his first two draft classes. Overall, they have failed to produce impact players.
Adofo-Mensah’s first two drafts yielded three players who were full-time starters last season. Two of them – Jordan Addison and Ed Ingram – still start. Another player, Mekhi Blackmon, was in line to compete for a starting spot before tearing his ACL in the preseason.
One of the picks who did not pan out, Lewis Cine, has found a new home and position.
“Despite being two years into a four-year, fully-guaranteed $11.494 million contract, Cine was waived at the end of training camp. He contemplated taking an offer to join the New York Jets practice squad, but flipped to the Buffalo Bills at the last minute,” the Niagra Gazette’s Nick Sabato wrote on October 8.
“Cine felt he needed a fresh start after two frustrating seasons with the Vikings. Little did he know, that would include a position change as the Bills have spent the last few weeks giving Cine a try at linebacker.
Found this interesting today…
Practice squad safety Lewis Cine was doing individual drills with the linebackers.
Former first round pick is listed at 6-2, 199.
LBs are getting lighter, but sub-200 might be a reach.
Really athletic coming out of college. Maybe worth look
“You just need the right opportunity, the right timing, the right people and all that,” Cine told Sabato in an interview for the article. “I’ve had to be patient ever since I got in the NFL, but I’m not pointing fingers. I’m not boo-hooing, I’m not going to blame anything outside of myself and some unfortunate things that happened very early on. All I can do is take this new journey, take this new clean slate and just not look back.”
Lewis Cine Never Found ‘Fit’ With Vikings Under Brian Flores
GettyMinnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores.
Sabato emphasized that Cine, who is still listed as a safety on the Bills’ roster, never found his fit in Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores’ scheme.
Cine played eight snaps on defense in 2023, per Pro Football Focus.
Seven of those snaps came in the box. So while a position change is always a significant undertaking, Cine is used to playing closer to the line of scrimmage. A switch to linebacker also mitigates some of his issues in coverage, where PFF gave him his lowest grade of 2023.
Furthermore, tackling was Cine’s highest grade followed by run defense in the three sub-categories he was marked.
That he failed to find a spot in Flores’ scheme is notable.
Three of the Vikings’ top four leaders in snaps are safeties, similar to their strategy in 2023. Cine was also surpassed by 2022 sixth-round pick Theo Jackson and 2023 fourth-round Jay Ward in the rotation behind starters Camryn Bynum, Harrison Smith, and Josh Metellus.
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah Has Missed With Vikings’ ‘Best Bullets’
GettyGeneral manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah of the Minnesota Vikings.
The Vikings made four picks in the first and second rounds in 2022 and 2023. Two are no longer with the team.
“In 2022, Adofo-Mensah classified first-round picks, second-round picks and cap space as the team’s ‘best bullets.’ Those, he has said, should be used on transactions that are the most certain,” The Athletic’s Alec Lewis wrote in January.
“Neither Cine nor [Andrew] Booth appears likely to be a starting defensive back for the Vikings. Ingram has improved from his rookie season, but his ceiling seems to be limited to a low-end starter at best. And Addison has shown flashes of being a reliable No. 2 receiver.”
The Vikings traded Booth to the Dallas Cowboys for Nahshon Wright in August.
Rookie QB J.J. McCarthy, one of two Vikings first-round picks in 2024, is out for the season after tearing his MCL in the preseason.
The Vikings’ other first-round pick of the class, Dallas Turner, has flashed his pass-rushing ability. They did not have a second-round pick. Adofo-Mensah has maximized the Vikings’ cap space, as evidenced by free agent signings Andrew Van Ginkel and Blake Cashman.
The Vikings are also in good financial shape for years to come.
Josh Buckhalter covers the NBA and NFL for Heavy.com. He has covered both leagues since 2016, including bylines at FanSided, Last Word on Sports and Clocker Sports. He's based in Villa Park, Illinois. Follow Josh on Twitter and Instagram: @JoshGBuck More about Josh Buckhalter
