Vikings Legend Offers to Mentor the Rookie
The Minnesota Vikings snapped a long drought in this year’s draft when they selected Donovan Jackson out of Ohio State. He was Minnesota’s first offensive guard selected in the first round in 37 years. In 1988, the club chose Randall McDaniel, and he turned out to be a pretty good player for the purple squad.
Vikings Legend Offers to Mentor the Rookie
Of course, folks immediately compared the two, but it’ll take some time for Jackson to come remotely close to McDaniel’s prime. The cool thing is that the Hall of Famer is willing to mentor the newcomer, he recently claimed in the interview with the Grand Forks Herald.
The article from earlier this month quotes Jackson: “I will get out there at some point and make the official greeting. I’m looking forward to that.”
Asked about his first impressions of the 22-year-old, McDaniel responded: “I definitely like what I’m hearing. The things that he’s been saying are all great. Just a typical offensive lineman. He does all the right things. Just watching him play at Ohio State, loved him moving out to tackle to help the team out. That’s what offensive linemen do.”
Jackson started 40 games at Ohio State; 31 of those came at left guard and the last nine at left tackle. Fellow draftee and left tackle Josh Simmons suffered a season-ending knee injury, and even his backup got hurt. When the coaching staff was looking for a solution, they approached Jackson about a move to the outside.
Although he is a natural guard and there was a chance the move would hurt his draft stock, he agreed to make the switch and helped the program capture the national championship.
McDaniel provided some clarity on how hard it is for a guard to play on the outside. “It all happens so quickly inside. You can work with the center or the tackle. You’re on an island sliding outside. The technique completely changes up. You have to stop and think. That’s the hard part. You’re used to reacting quickly, so when things change, there’s a hesitation for a brief moment. You’ve got to make sure the technique is sound in order to combat that.”
Jackson’s new teammate Brian O’Neill recently praised him for the ability to switch positions, too, suggesting that’s not something he could do.
McDaniel then pointed at the things Jackson does best: “They were known for running that ball. I liked that. I like the way he gets after it. He finishes his blocks and initiates it. I’m an old-school lineman; anytime I get to see a young kid run blocking, I get excited.”
The rebuilt offensive line could help the Vikings finally implement a respectable rushing attack. With Ryan Kelly and Will Fries coming over from the Colts and providing a significant boost in terms of power, as well as Jackson’s presence, Kevin O’Connell should be willing to call his offense more run-heavy than in his first three seasons at the helm.
Vikings legend McDaniel then promised to be there for Jackson, should he request help: “When I first came into the NFL, I had some of the older offensive linemen kind of show me the ropes. It was great being able to pick their brains. I will offer that up to him. If that’s something he’s interested in, I’m more than willing to do that.”
Jackson is in a sweet position and has various experienced guys around him he can learn from. That, of course, starts with offensive line coach Chris Kuper, who played 90 games for the Broncos and has a decade of experience in coaching.
In addition to that, Jackson can ask his teammates for advice. Offensive tackles Christian Darrisaw and O’Neill are among the best in the business. Kelly is a four-time Pro Bowler and will play right next to him, and Fries is one of the better guards in football, who can help with guard-specific questions.
And then there’s the Hall of Famer. McDaniel is now 60 years old. He spent all but the final two seasons of his legendary career in the Twin Cities and collected seven first-team All-Pro honors (second-team twice) and went to 12 Pro Bowls. McDaniel played in 222 career games and logged 220 starts.
Jackson’s next step will be a competition with 2024 starting left guard, Blake Brandel. It remains to be seen whether he can snatch that starting gig in time for Week 1.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.
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