The Vikings Might Have Drafted a New Brian O’Neill
Compared to last year, when Kwesi Adofo-Mensah selected two high-profile players in the first round and therefore had an exciting draft class, this year’s additions were somewhat boring. He only had one pick in the top 100 and chose to go with a guard, not a flashy position like quarterback or pass rusher.
NFL coach thinks the Vikings will be happy with their rookie.
If the player is good, however, nobody will ever care if the pick was exciting or not.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler published an article in which executives and scouts pick their favorite offseason moves. After reading through the Steelers signing Aaron Rodgers and the Cowboys trading for George Pickens, one man is talking about Minnesota’s first-rounder, Donovan Jackson.
An unnamed NFL coordinator is quoted as saying, “You know why I really like this pick? He’s going to be a solid 10-year starter. Not sure he’s elite, but he will make a few Pro Bowls and be a really good player for a long time.”
A ten-year starter with some Pro Bowls? Vikings fans would surely take that after years of subpar guard play on either side of the center. It also sounds an awful lot like the resume right tackle Brian O’Neill has been putting together.
The 2018 second-rounder is going into his eighth season, and except for a few games in his rookie season, he has started in all of them. He’s also a two-time Pro Bowler and has been one of the most consistent players in all of football for over half a decade. In a down year, he’s still one of the ten or 15 best right tackles in the sport. In a good year, meanwhile, he’s in the top five.
Besides Jackson, the Vikings have also acquired a new right guard. Will Fries signed a five-year deal that makes him one of the best-paid guards in the league. His 2024 tape is outstanding, although it was cut short due to a leg injury from which he is still recovering. Still, the Vikings were confident in going all in and handing him a lucrative deal.
If Fries and Jackson are as good as advertised, the ongoing guard issues will be in the rearview mirror. The days of putting guys like Dru Samia, Pat Elflein, or Dakota Dozier in front of the quarterback and hoping for the best could be gone.
While the coordinator talked about him as a solid long-term player, in the near future, he will have to earn a starting job first. His competitor is last year’s starter at left guard, Blake Brandel. The veteran is a converted tackle who showed some promise early in his first year as a full-time starter, but his level of play dropped once Christian Darrisaw was out for the year. Regardless, the first-rounder is generally the favorite to start early in his career.
Because Fries has yet to take the field, Jackson got a head start over many other rookies who usually start low on the depth chart and have to work their way up. The Vikings moved Brandel to right guard in practice, allowing Jackson to get some early run with center Ryan Kelly.
The last time the Vikings drafted a guard in the first round was in 1988 when they selected Randall McDaniel, a Hall of Famer. McDaniel was asked about what he likes most about the newest Viking: “[Ohio State] was 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.”
He also said he would mentor him if Jackson were interested.
The running attack is a major item on Kevin O’Connell’s to-do list. Minnesota’s lack of success on the ground is a big reason why the offenses have been good, but not great, under the head coach. The new offensive line, as well as the new backfield with Jordan Mason supporting Aaron Jones, could help.
Right after the draft pick, ESPN analyst Field Yates posted on social media, “Donovan Jackson to the Vikings just might be my favorite pick of the night. By the end of this past season, he had put on elite tape at both guard AND left tackle. An extremely dependable, selfless player. He’s tough, rugged and athletic. Excellent football player.”
He has been a big fan of the move from day 1, and if Jackson managed to have the guard version of a career similar to O’Neill’s, Skol Nation will become fans, too.
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