Inside The Vikings

Vikings Rookie LB Brian Asamoah Named 2022 Mr. Mankato Winner

Asamoah had a heck of a training camp to nudge out Ty Chandler for the unofficial award.

Will Ragatz

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Vikings rookie linebacker Brian Asamoah has been named the 2022 Mr. Mankato winner, an award given annually by SKOR North to the top unheralded performer in training camp and the preseason. 

The rules state that the player can't have been drafted in the first two rounds and can't yet be an "established" NFL player (though they don't have to be a rookie). Although the Vikings now hold their training camps at TCO Performance Center in Eagan, the award — which was first given out in 2014 — is named after the city where the team held its camps from 1966 to 2017.

Asamoah nudged out fellow rookie Ty Chandler, who was excellent in the three preseason games. Trishton Jackson and Ryan Wright would've also been in the mix for me, but I agree with the Asamoah choice. Veterans like Greg Joseph, T.Y. McGill, and K.J. Osborn had great camps but weren't eligible.

Asamoah was barely eligible, as he was the second pick of this year's third round (No. 66 overall). The undersized, ultra-quick linebacker from Oklahoma developed quickly over the course of training camp, showing off his sideline-to-sideline speed and playing with a level of passion and physicality that's fun to watch. A moment from camp that stands out is when Asamoah sprinted across the middle of the field to make a diving breakup of a pass intended for Nick Muse at the Vikings' night practice.

Once the preseason began, Asamoah immediately put his immense potential on display. To close out the first quarter of the first game, he made a quick read on a running play near the goal line and flew towards the ballcarrier for a tackle for loss.

Asamoah had several other big hits and impressive run fits over the course of the three games while leading the Vikings in PFF tackling grade. He added another TFL the following week against the 49ers.

In the preseason finale against the Broncos, Asamoah played through a minor injury and was out there for 60 snaps because he was one of only two inside linebackers the Vikings had available. “I have always been a fighter," he said. "My mindset is I can fight through it and deal with it the next day. That is kind of what I did. My team needed me to play."

Asamoah, like any rookie linebacker, still has a long ways to go in his development. He needs to continue learning how to read offenses at the NFL level so he can be where he needs to be and make plays without thinking too much. Wearing the green dot as the defensive playcaller throughout the preseason was a highly valuable experience for him.

"The defensive guys are looking up to you, you have to get everybody lined up," he said after the Broncos game. "You really have to know your stuff and what the guy in front of you is doing as well. It has been helping my growth because, as a defensive caller, you have to know what everyone is doing. It makes it easy on me to know where the open gap is and stuff like that."

With Eric Kendricks and Jordan Hicks ahead of him on the depth chart, Asamoah won't need to play a major role on defense this season unless one of the starters misses time. He'll have a chance to learn and develop while likely seeing the field in certain subpackages and on special teams.

"These first two (games) kind of showed me what a lot of pro offenses do, what to expect and where the open gap is," Asamoah said. "There is a lot of general football knowledge that helped me, and then today is another way that I can learn and grow as a player by understanding what offenses like to do and where they are attacking us in our in our coverages."

Asamoah played well enough to earn the title of Mr. Mankato, and it's clear that his athleticism and overall skill set give him a chance to eventually become a starting inside linebacker who can be an asset in both run defense and pass coverage.

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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

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