Vikings Rookie Is Getting Some Buzz
The season has not lived up to expectations for Minnesota Vikings fans, especially compared to last year’s seemingly unbeatable squad. Kevin O’Connell’s operation is 4-6, and the last playoff chances could vanish within a couple of weeks. Another item on the list is that J.J. McCarthy’s early development has not gone according to plan.
Vikings Rookie Is Getting Some Buzz
It’s time for some positivity, and a rookie has given us a reason to be excited. Though overall promising, first-rounder Donovan Jackson has been — like most rookies — up and down for the most part this season.
In Sunday’s loss against the Chicago Bears, Jackson had an outstanding game that has turned some heads.
According to PFF, he pitched a perfect game in pass protection, not giving up a single QB pressure on 33 dropbacks. He recorded such a game once before in his young career. Ironically, that was also against the Chicago Bears.
Stats aside, the film supports the sentiment. Alec Lewis, Vikings reporter of The Athletic, noted on social media, “Thought, after watching the film, that Vikings rookie G Donovan Jackson had his best game as a pro against the Bears. Elite. Moving guys in the run. Anchoring one-on-one. Picking up stunts.”
It’s worth noting that Chicago’s defensive line doesn’t have a Jalen Carter or a Chris Jones. Jackson had his hands full with Carter a few times in the contest against the Philadelphia Eagles, but who doesn’t?
Overall, the blockers gave McCarthy perhaps the best pass protection the franchise has seen in years. Unfortunately, he couldn’t take advantage of that because of his very own issues.
Back to Jackson. The Vikings spent the 24th overall pick in April to acquire the Ohio State alumnus, rather than bolstering the secondary or addressing another issue. No, the Vikings were convinced they found a long-time starter at guard, and through his first eight games (he missed both games in Europe because of a wrist surgery), they might be right.
Will Ragatz (SI.com) advises you to check his pass protection on the final two plays of the potential game-winning drive.
Jackson was considered a relatively pro-ready player, and the Vikings agreed, as they just handed him the starting spot in the summer. They didn’t entertain any competition shenanigans.
At Ohio State, Jackson played the left guard position for years, but he moved to left tackle halfway through last season. Fellow first-rounder Josh Simmons suffered a season-ending knee injury, and the Buckeyes needed a competent blindside protector. Jackson is better suited at guard, but he certainly held his own on the outside, and it displayed his team-first mentality. Moving to an unfamiliar spot and potentially ruining his draft stock was risky.
Just a couple of weeks ago, his performance against the Detroit Lions (who actually have an excellent defensive line) earned him some more praise.
The offensive line hasn’t always delivered adequate protection this season, especially when the injuries were piling up. In the last three games, only center Ryan Kelly hasn’t been available from the initial starting five. The remaining four, along with versatile backup Blake Brandel, have provided some consistency. Kelly returned to practice last week and could suit up as soon as Sunday after recovering from his second concussion of the season.
With only five players selected, the 2025 draft class was never going to be a huge game-changer for the franchise. It was important to nail the first-round pick, though. So far, it looks like GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has done that.
His next test will come against the Packers on Sunday. Green Bay frequently uses all-world rusher Micah Parsons on guards. We’ll see how the rookie deals with that.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.