KWESI ADOFO-MENSAH: This came to fruition. It's a cool moment. You get to call somebody, and I guess he didn't know. I said: Hi, I'm Kwesi; I'm the general manager of the Vikings. He still didn't get it. I said, we're a building full of dream chasers. Do you want to come chase dreams? He starts yelling. It's something I'll never forget for the rest of my life. With that, any questions?
Q. I guess just to go back to 12 and the whirlwind that that was, did you feel you were close at all to picking a player? Did you know the whole time that you wanted to move back?
KWESI ADOFO-MENSAH: Again, you are planning for every scenario. So we have if this, then this. There was a thought to stay in the pick and make a selection, but we stuck to our plan. We had a really rigorous process coming into this where we did a collaborative discussion with everybody in the building, and we kind of talked through it, and we knew where why we did what we did, but when there's great players still left on the board, you understand it. That's ultimately the decision we came to.
Q. Going down 20 spots at any point does that feel like a lot --
KWESI ADOFO-MENSAH: It's kind of one of those things that you look at what's expected. A lot of it's what could be there, the pick I'm trading to versus what am I giving up now? You have to take it on faith that your calculations are right, and it came down right to the end. We were comfortable with what he were with doing.
Q. Did you see Lewis as a guy who could compete with that opening to start for Xavier Woods. You have Cam Bynum, obviously, too, and then obviously Harrison Smith, who is 33. Just how do you look at his role potentially in 2022 and moving forward?
KWESI ADOFO-MENSAH: Cam Bynum is somebody we're really excited about. He is somebody we studied in Cleveland as a safety projection. Obviously, I get to know this roster, and you go into free agency, what needs do you think you have, and I'm looking at him like, hey, this guy has something in him.
We talked about this trade. We talked about the NFL and what it is now, and I've got Ed Donatell and Mike Pettine in the lab, and they're going to figure out ways to use our depth, use their coverage skill sets, use them in divers ways and getting your best players on the field, and I think we'll be able to do that.
Q. 32 is a popular spot for teams to move up to get that fifth year option. Did you have many calls, or did you think at all about moving back once more?
KWESI ADOFO-MENSAH: There were calls. We considered everything that came through our door. There was a curve ball thrown at the end that tested your plan, so to speak. Everybody got a plan until they got hit in the face. That's what they say.
We stuck to our guns. It was cool. It was cool being in that room and people feeling the gravity of the moment and saying, hey, this is what we're going to do, and this is why. Everybody understood. We moved as a unit, and we're happy about it and excited to come in tomorrow and start all over again.
Q. How do you address trade value when it's with a division team that you are playing twice and how does that factor into what you are doing?
KWESI ADOFO-MENSAH: That was big a thought. I won't lie. Brad and I first spoke earlier and just said, hey, we have a good relationship. I don't know that this has to be something that we can't ever do deals, but we really looked at it as, hey, what is your outcome if we don't do this trade versus what is your outcome if you stay and pick?
Ultimately, the division thing does come into it, but it also comes in, hey, they have to play the Minnesota Vikings and all the players we're going to get, and obviously we're going to go from there. There's also the possibility that they have backups, right? If we don't do the trade, there's odds that they could do the trade anyway. You are kind of factoring in many things that could happen, and we did that, and ultimately, we're happy with our decision.
Q. When it comes to deciding on the trade value, lots of people have lots of different charts to decide whether you won or lost this one. How do you go about figuring out which picks are worth what and how you make that deal?
KWESI ADOFO-MENSAH: It's the ultimate irony, right? The guy that used to calculate the charts himself now gets people arguing about charts. Again, it's really the same thing as economics. It's how happy are you in this outcome versus in this outcome versus this outcome?
You can talk about charts all you want. It's not like you call somebody if you were buying a house and saying, hey, it should be worth this. Well, they might not pay that. If something is worth as much as someone is willing to pay for it.
We kind of went with this, and going into the process we said, okay, what would our happiness level be if we did this trade versus staying versus this other trade? We ultimately just came to our decision that way. We used the chart as a guideline, but that's also just because everybody kind of uses it as that type of thing. We weren't necessarily looking to win points or this or that. We kind of look at the big picture and what it could be, what it ultimately might be in the end.
Q. Certainly you said there was a curve ball at the end. What was the curve ball?
KWESI ADOFO-MENSAH: I try not to talk about every trade call that comes in, but just a trade offer that came in at the very last second that was something we considered, but ultimately, we decided to keep the decision we made.
Q. Are you kind of surprised there wasn't more aggressiveness from teams, especially in the quarterback situation, given there was only one taken at that point?
KWESI ADOFO-MENSAH: It only takes one, but if that one doesn't show up, that's how these things can happen. We don't talk about quarterbacks with other teams, so I can't sit here and tell you that, yeah.
Q. That's a popular spot.
KWESI ADOFO-MENSAH: It typically is. That's probably a better question for them. It is a popular spot for that, but it didn't happen this year, and ultimately, we were ready for it if it did.
Q. Given that there was still only the one, do you think tomorrow at the top of the second that that's a prime spot where people -- would you go into that given that you have a spot there thinking that that's something that you are going to be hearing or be prepared to hear from other teams about?
KWESI ADOFO-MENSAH: My cell phone is always charged.
Q. Do you have an ideal spot, though, 34, because it's almost like a new draft and you are picking second. You are pretty much know just about who is going to be available?
KWESI ADOFO-MENSAH: That's the dynamic. I think a lot of times people reset their boards and things like that. Now, it is the dynamic between the fifth year option and then the second, so that's goes into a different thing. But, yeah, that is the thought process behind that, and ultimately, again, we'll take the calls. We'll be ready to pick. If it's not the case, we'll be ready either way.
Q. Is it tough that a division rival has now drafted dynamic player in the draft like Jameson Williams, and now you guys are going to have to go against him for years?
KWESI ADOFO-MENSAH: Yeah, it's something you think about. Me and Kevin talked about it. He was one of our favorite players in the draft, but we got a pretty bad dude on our team, and we can add other pieces on the other side. Again, they have to play the Minnesota Vikings. We don't have to play Jameson Williams. They have to play the Minnesota Vikings.
Q. Any thought of taking him at 12?
KWESI ADOFO-MENSAH: If you pick at 12, you have to have 12 names. He was one of the people we talked about. Ultimately, we made the decision we made. He is a really great player, and we're going to have to bring our everything to beat him. Again, we're going to try to put together the team that they'll have to bring everything to beat us.
Q. The Packers have played a ton of -- defense over the past couple of years. Obviously, there's some experience on the staff with that. Did that enter the conversation about taking the defensive back there?
KWESI ADOFO-MENSAH: These are all conversations you have, and that's probably the great part about the collaboration we have. I'm not going to sit there and assume anything. I'm going to have them be in the discussion, know that he wants to be there, know what we have in this building already, and know that we can optimize them because you don't make that pick unless you can really fully understand that value and realize it. Heavily involved in those situations, and we're ready, again. We have guys that -- you can talk about Cam Bynum and Cine. Their coverage skill sets are incredible. The flexibility that gives you is something we're excited about.
Q. You mentioned that in Cleveland you're evaluating Bynum as a safety, and he played cornerback in college. Does that versatility enter the conversation when you think about adding another safety to the room and fielding guys back?
KWESI ADOFO-MENSAH: Absolutely. Again, exactly to your point. It gives the defense something to think about, right, because of their coverage skill set. They don't necessarily know a certain tell or something like that. You always want versatile players. You always want great players. Specifically types that can cover for other people.
His range is so special. It allows people -- people don't realize the safety position, the name is pretty indicative of what it is. It's getting guys to the ground, make them play from first and ten and make them drive down the field. You can erase some mistakes from that position, and that's somebody we think we've added.
Q. Lewis Cine?
KWESI ADOFO-MENSAH: Correct.
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