Vikings Go Offense in Mel Kiper Jr.’s Latest Mock Draft
It’s mock draft season for the Minnesota Vikings and the other 31 NFL teams. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, general manager in his fourth offseason, has a plethora of decent options this year and can bolster offense or defense without having an alarming concern to fix in the draft.
Vikings Go Offense in Mel Kiper Jr.’s Latest Mock Draft
The secondary and the defensive line are popular positions in Minnesota’s mock draft community, but ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. adds another offensive lineman.
Ohio State’s guard Donovan Jackson is headed to the Twin Cities in his latest two-round mock.
“Minnesota signed guard Will Fries and center Ryan Kelly away from the Colts. It’s a big improvement on the interior offensive line. Let’s take it a step further. Jackson would replace Blake Brandel at the other guard spot,” Kiper remarked.
It’s been a fascinating offseason for the purple faithful, who had begged Minnesota’s front office for years to address the interior offensive line just to watch them sign another low-end starter or move a backup tackle there. Six months later, they usually point at their TV because it has predictably not worked, and a few months after that, the club just repeats the procedure.
Not this time. Will Fries signed a huge five-year deal to replace the rotation of Ed Ingram and Dalton Risner, and Garrett Bradbury lost his job to four-time Pro Bowler Ryan Kelly. That leaves one untouched offensive line spot, and Kiper Jr. foresees the Vikings replacing Blake Brandel, too.
Brandel entered the league as an offensive tackle, but he was moved to backup guard ahead of the 2023 season and was handed a starter job in 2024. He ranked 62nd of 77 eligible offensive guards by PFF.
Head coach Kevin O’Connell recently attributed some of the second-half struggles to Christian Darrisaw missing time, suggesting Brandel would be the starter if the Vikings were to play a game at this point, but sophomore Michael Jurgens could compete for the spot. He also mentioned the addition of a rookie was possible.
That brings us back to Jackson, who played in 51 games with the Buckeyes. The 22-year-old was a first-team All-American following his fourth and final season at Ohio State and won the national title. He’s a three-year starter at guard but also played some tackle, which is another aspect for Kiper Jr.
“He has the versatility to kick outside if needed,” Kiper Jr. added. “He did so this past season when Josh Simmons got hurt for Ohio State. That seems relevant given left tackle Christian Darrisaw is recovering from a left knee injury. Jackson is a plug-and-play interior blocker with great agility and technique; he allowed four sacks over 40 career starts.”
Vikings franchise left tackle Darrisaw suffered a torn ACL halfway through last season and might miss the early parts of the campaign, although nothing of that sort has been reported. However, it would be a strange move to instruct a rookie at two spots instead of allowing him to get comfortable at one, which is hard enough for a first-year player.
NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein summarized the blocker’s profile, “Broad-framed three-year starter with core power and leg drive to hold the line of scrimmage or change it. He can stick and sustain in-line or on the second level and is a plus finisher. Jackson has the athleticism for all tasks as an outside-zone blocker. He is also able to accelerate and lead the way on long pulls or counters.
“He leans against stunting/slanting fronts, and he can be tardy in opening his hips and activating his feet for recoveries. He’s long but punches with wider hands and struggles to consistently maintain his edges when mirroring. Overall, Jackson has the measurables, power and movement for any scheme as a starting guard.”
On paper, the offensive line with Brian O’Neill and Darrisaw on the outside and a combination of Jackson, Kelly, and Fries inside looks really satisfying and would provide perfect protection for first-year starter J.J. McCarthy and could move people in the running game.
The draft’s first round will take place on April 24th in Green Bay.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.