Rumor: Seemingly Locked-In Vikings Starter Still Battling to be the Top Option
Throughout the offseason, a basic idea has shined through when Kevin O’Connell spoke about Minnesota’s new left guard, Donovan Jackson: the rookie was being looked at as a Vikings starter.
Indeed, the idea of Jackson becoming the LG1 by Week 1 appeared to be a locked-in reality, but the conversation within training camp has reintroduced the idea of there being competition. To be sure, the odds are still in Jackson’s favor, but Blake Brandel is battling to maintain a starter’s job. Does the rookie actually need to earn the job or is this just general coach chatter about there being a competition?
Donovan Jackson as a Vikings Starter
Anything less than being the top option by Monday Night Football at Soldier Field is going to qualify as a disappointment.
Taboo isn’t quite the right word, but unusual may still be appropriate. Teams don’t often snag guards in the opening round of the NFL draft. Breaking with convention by opting for Mr. Jackson suggests that optimism is high in the Twin Cities for what the Ohio State alumnus is capable of doing.
Consider one instance when Coach O’Connell suggested the rookie guard was being viewed as a starter: “Envisioning [Jackson] being on a front with potentially Ryan Kelly and Christian Darrisaw, Will Fries and Brian O’Neill. That’s a pretty formidable group on paper. We’ve got to make it come to life on the grass.”
And then another comment about Jackson jumping into the starting five: “Yeah, I think that draft pick was really — ultimate teams in this league, as they build their offseason plan, the teams that can pair free agency and the draft together, so that when the draft comes around, you can take the best player available. Take the player that can have a clean path to a significant role with your team.”
At his press conference alongside Kwesi Adofo-Mensah to get training camp started, O’Connell expressed an adjusted idea, suggesting that Donovan Jackson was squaring off with Blake Brandel to earn the starting spot: “Donovan [Jackson and] Blake [Brandel], competitive situations all over the first unit. And really the depth we feel really good about.”
See the break in the thought? Jackson’s named gets placed alongside Brandel’s with the description being that it’s “competitive.” O’Connell then transitions over to the idea of depth being behind the guys battling for a spot with the first team.
Oddly enough, O’Connell moves through the words in a very calm manner. He appears quite content in his statement despite the previous suggestions of Jackson being the LG1. Jackson and Brandel are competing, O’Connell says casually, so the let the best guard win.
How do we sort through these comments? Which way are things leaning?
Pretty decidedly, the best guess remains that Mr. Jackson is going to be inserted into the starting lineup. Some form of disaster — either with health, level of play, or a dastardly mixture of both — would need to arrive to unsettle that reality.
Again, just come back to the basic investment: sinking the No. 24 selection into a guard is a bold move. Clearly, there is high hope for the young lineman. The spring may have involved a bit of dreaming and forecasting but now is the time for Jackson to fully lock-in the reality of being the top left guard.
Last season, Donovan Jackson earned a healthy 71.8 grade on PFF. Good stuff, but not elite. Do note, however, that he got shuffled around on the line. His natural position is as a left guard but he was tasked with playing left tackle (as many have noted).
Donovan Jackson operated at a level that helped allow his team to win a National Championship. Jackson, in other words, couldn’t have fared too poorly at left tackle. In fact, quite the opposite appears to be true. Jackson did well as a left tackle. Minnesota’s hope is that he morphs into becoming an elite left guard in the NFL.
If he loses the LG1 spot, Blake Brandel appears to be a trade candidate.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF helped with this piece.
