Vikings Keep Hammering the Trenches, Signal Interest in New Lineman
For Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, the approach has been pretty clear: keep beefing up the trenches.
The Vikings have expressed an interest in draft prospect Jacob Bayer (a center), per KPCR2’s Aaron Wilson. Apparently, Bayer took some time to meet with the Los Angeles Chargers while also having a meeting with the Green Bay Packers that’s yet to arrive. He’ll be meeting with Minnesota, too.
Vikings Keep Focus on the Trenches
The recently-signed Ryan Kelly is going to be locking down the C1 spot for the next pair of seasons.
The veteran got brought to Minnesota on a two-year deal at the outset of free agency. He has been to the Pro Bowl four times and will be leaned on to help soon-to-be sophomore J.J. McCarthy adjust to life in the NFL. Only an injury will be able to displace Kelly from his spot in the lineup.
Nevertheless, Minnesota would be wise to continue attacking the depth at all positions on the roster, including along the o-line.
Currently, Michael Jurgens is providing some depth along the interior of the o-line. He’s entering his second season in the NFL and it’s possible Minnesota thinks he could one day be a starting center, but that remains to be seen. Otherwise, the team could turn to do-it-all lineman Blake Brandel if they were in an emergency at center, but the hope is to leave him as the LG1.
Bleacher Report offers a scouting report on Bayer, explaining some of the basics. For starters, the center has good size at 6’2″ and 315 pounds. Consider some of the assessment: “Bayer wins as a run blocker with a wide-bodied base, good upper-body strength, and an effective double-under technique to cover up, lift, and displace defensive tackles in the post on double-teams and angle-drive blocks. He has enough quicks to overtake and reach shades in the outside zone run game but does his best work on inside zone and gap concepts where he can work downhill.”
Further: “In pass protection, Bayer is a stout presence against power, and he quickly absorbs and grinds the bull-rush down in his anchor while creating a lift using the double-under. He has a stiff, jolting punch and physical mindset when uncovered to clear the pocket. Bayer’s feet tend to get stuck against rushers that can string together moves, creating easy access to his edges and gradual penetration when isolated.”
The sense one gets is that Mr. Bayer isn’t going to be picked super high. Consider, for instance, just the top 300 board on PFF. The center isn’t listed. Similarly, a piece on ESPN that lists the top prospects from multiple analysts doesn’t see Bayer’s name being included.
In the 2025 NFL Draft, the Vikings own a 5th and 6th. Maybe one of those get sunk into the center who played two dozen games for Arkansas State in 2023 and 2024. Or, perhaps, he slips into undrafted free agency. If so, Minnesota is notoriously aggressive when adding talent, getting their elbows up to fend off competitors for top talent.
The event gets started on April 24th.
Editor’s Note: Information from Sports Reference CFB helped with this piece.
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 (Bluesky & Twitter). If you feel so inclined, subscribe to his Substack, The Vikings Gazette, for more great Vikings content.
