Where Does the Vikings’ OL Rank in the NFL?
It’s debatable when the Vikings last had a decent offensive line, but no middle school child has ever seen a good Vikings line. After years of half-measured approaches, the front office finally made significant investments to overhaul the front.
Where Does the Vikings’ OL Rank in the NFL?
Just minutes after the subpar performance in Glendale, Arizona, when the Vikings were bounced from the playoffs, head coach Kevin O’Connell suggested that the offensive line would be a point of emphasis in the following offseason:
“There’s no question we’ve got to find a way to be able to give a quarterback, especially with players like Justin (Jefferson), Jordan (Addison), T.J. (Hockenson), we’ve got to find a way to solidify just the interior of the pocket. There can be a thousand excuses made, whether it’s losing [Christian Darrisaw], or even midway through the game losing [Brian O’Neill] tonight, but for me, it’s the foundation of the interior of the pocket that we’re going to have to take a long look at.”
Skol Nation thought that would mean one or maybe two upgrades at the three spots between Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill. Little did we know that GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah would swap out all three starters.
The new line from left to right: Christian Darrisaw, Donovan Jackson, Ryan Kelly, Will Fries, Brian O’Neill.
Not bad.
Zoltán Buday of Pro Football Focus ranked the 32 offensive lines league-wide. In recent history, we would have been happy with an average ranking, but not this time. Have the investments paid off?
To some extent, yes. The Vikings land a top-ten spot, 7th to be exact. Buday wrote: “Although Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill formed a top-notch tackle duo over the past couple of seasons, the Vikings’ interior held back the unit, and the offense overall.”
The revolving door at guard is hopefully in the rearview mirror. No more Dru Samia, Dakota Dozier, or Tom Compton. Instead, the club signed two expensive free agents and acquired one premier draftee, Buday noted.
“Minnesota will feature three new starters along the interior in 2025, looking to turn a weakness into a strength. Center Ryan Kelly just turned 32 and is still among the best players at his position when healthy. Right guard Will Fries was on his way to a breakout season in 2024 before an injury ended his year after five games. Rookie Donovan Jackson, whom the Vikings drafted in the first round, completes the pack.”
Sure, Kelly is getting up there in age and has struggled with injuries in the past few years, but if he’s healthy, he will be a huge upgrade over Garrett Bradbury, who was subsequently cut and has since signed with the New England Patriots.
At guard, Ed Ingram was shipped to Houston for a late-round pick that was used to trade for running back Jordan Mason, and Dalton Risner was allowed to walk in free agency. It’ll be Fries and Jackson flanking Kelly. At tackle, the club still employs Darrisaw and O’Neill, two of the top edge blockers in the business.
Within the NFC North, the Vikings rank 2nd. The Chicago Bears, who have made comparable investments, are 4th, while the Green Bay Packers and the Detroit Lions, two perennial standout offensive lines, dropped out of the top ten.
The Vikings’ offensive line will look vastly different in 2025 and that’s a good thing.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.