The Vikings’ Donovan Jackson Pick Creates Some Questions with Unclear Answers
The Vikings’ Donovan Jackson pick will leave some fans pleased since the offensive line’s interior has been totally rebuilt. Others, perhaps, are feeling a bit more skeptical. A guard in the opening round is a bold move.
One side effect of picking Jackson is that other players get displaced in the team’s hierarchy. Most prominently, there’s Blake Brandel, who was the LG1 in 2024. But then one wonders about a pair of other lineman, guys who were chosen from the 2024 NFL Draft: Michael Jurgens and Walter Rouse.
The Vikings’ Donovan Jackson Pick:
Michael Jurgens, Walter Rouse, & a Murky Future
The offseason has featured some praise for last-year’s late-round lineman.
Consider, for instance, the simple fact that Kevin O’Connell said Minnesota’s LG spot was going to be a competition involving Jurgens: “I think Blake [Brandel] and [Michael] Jurgens both inside we’d like to see them at a variety of different spots, but I think if we went out and played right now I think that’s the way we would likely look. Long way to go, still some options, opportunities with our four draft picks. And ultimately we’ll see what it looks like.”
Consider, as well, what has been said about Mr. Rouse, someone who is being considered at guard.
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said that Rouse is a “bully” and someone where the “sky is the limit” (read more). More recently, Vikings executive Ryan Grigson praised Rouse, even doing so while relaying some of Adofo-Mensah’s opinion’s on the young lineman. Grigson said Rouse has “the traits to be [an] NFL starter” while also having “the work ethic and intelligence.” Grigson also suggests that Adofo-Mensah is “really excited” about Rouse.
So, good news. The Vikings picked a pair of linemen late in 2024 and there’s still a lot of internal optimism.
The caveat, of course, is that their path toward playing time now looks difficult to find. After all, Ryan Kelly got signed to a two-year deal that’s coming in at $18 million. Meanwhile, right guard Will Fries was added on a five-year contract worth close to $88 million. He, too, will obviously be a starter.
The depth chart, in theory, could look something like this:
| LT1: Christian Darrisaw | LG1: Donovan Jackson | C1: Ryan Kelly | RG1: Will Fries | RT1: Brian O’Neill |
| LT2: Justin Skule | LG2: Blake Brandel | C2: Michael Jurgens | RG2: Walter Rouse | RT2: Skule/Rouse/Brandel |
If, in the end, Rouse and Jurgens go on to solidify themselves as solid backups with the Vikings for several years, then the picks would have been worth it. After all, we’re talking about 6th and 7th-Round selections. Neither was guaranteed anything when coming into the NFL.
The question at this stage simply rests in how much potential was seen in these players in the first place, the abilities that prompted praise and open discussion of pushing their game pretty high. At the end of the day, there’s going to be an offseason competition for a reason, so we’ll gain more clarity on these matters.
The Vikings’ Donovan Jackson pick, though, does raise some questions that need to be answered.
Editor’s Note: Information from Over the Cap helped with this piece.
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K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on social media (@VikingsGazette). If you feel so inclined, subscribe to his Substack, The Vikings Gazette, for more great Vikings content.