Vikings Bolster their O-line with Oklahoma Guard Dru Samia
Joe Oberle
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The Vikings, after a Friday night of trading down and frustrating the heck out of fans (and their head coach), actually made their first pick of the day on Saturday of the NFL Draft. In fact, they traded up (with the Seattle Seahawks) in the round to get a player, (And there was much rejoicing in the Purple War room.) With the 114th pick (their first of nine on Day 3), the Vikings picked: Oklahoma guard Dru Samia.
It cost them the 204th pick in the draft to trade with Seattle, but the Vikings swapped fourth rounds to get Samia and he becomes the other offensive linemen that most fans were looking for.
Noted for quick feet and plenty of experience, Samia, should help with depth on the offensive line. Samia is a zone scheme style blocker and will fit right in with Gary Kubiak’s new scheme for Minnesota. He has demonstrated position flexibillity, having played some tackle in his career. He comes from a very stout Sooners offensive front and he could push prospective guards Josh Kline and Garrett Bradbury/Pat Elflein for playing time. The biggest bonus is the offensive line is getting younger and should be able to keep quarterback Kirk Cousins upright this season.
Look for the Vikings to go toward defense with their next few picks.