To explain the strategy the Vikings employed in the first round of the NFL draft on Thursday, GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah used an analogy from his high school golf career that was both relatable and confusing at the same time.

"When you start to get good at golf is when you start removing the triple bogeys and double bogeys from your round. How you do that is if you hit one in the rough, you don't take your 3-wood out and start hacking away. You maybe take your seven iron, play the lie ... get up and down for a bogey, worst case," he said. "So to me, I think approaching the draft from a mindset of 'If the play is to hit the ball down the fairway, let's go do that.' If it's gonna be four picks of four positions that we really want, four great character people, or skill sets we require, let's go do that and we'll figure everything else out."

Relatable: Anyone who has golfed (or really just lived) knows that there is a temptation to chase mistakes in attempt to fix them, and that often it just makes things worse.

Confusing, as I talked about on Friday's Daily Delivery podcast. Did the Vikings, all things considered, make a bogey on Thursday? Was their decision to draft Jackson instead of going with a tempting alternative by definition subpar?

Considered simply, the decision to choose Ohio State offensive lineman Donovan Jackson at No. 24 was a good one. The Vikings in the draft and free agency have remade the interior of their offensive line after a playoff disaster, a long overdue decision that will help the team in general and young QB J.J. McCarthy specifically.

But they also have just four picks in this draft, and there is a future looming in which they will need more inexpensive depth from young players to bolster their roster.

Reports emerged not long before the Vikings made their selection that the Giants were trying to make a trade to get back into the first round to choose a quarterback. The Vikings almost certainly could have been a partner, considering the fact that the Giants made a trade one spot later. Houston gave up No. 25. They got No. 34 and No. 99 this year and a third-round pick next year.

If something similar was offered to the Vikings, did they err in not moving down a handful of spots while picking up two extra valuable picks?

Is Adofo-Mensah still haunted by the 2022 draft in which trading down did not work out?

If we take Adofo-Mensah's background as a commodities trader into account, it's hard to imagine he wasn't at least tempted by the value available. Were there other strong voices in the draft room — specifically from head coach Kevin O'Connell, who received a contract extension three months ago while Adofo-Mensah waits for his — lobbying to just hit the ball down the fairway, so to speak?

Triple bogeys can certainly kill a round. But you still need to make birdies to win.