Vikings depth chart: Rookies giving Minnesota a top-10 OL?
It will take some time for things to take shape, and you never know what could happen over the course of training camp, but it’s reasonable to expect for the fourth consecutive year, that rookie offensive linemen will have a substantial impact on the Minnesota Vikings depth chart.
In 2018, it was second-round pick Brian O’Neill entrenching and establishing himself as a mainstay at the right tackle position.
In 2019, first-round center Garrett Bradbury rose to the top of the Vikings depth chart rather quickly.
In 2020, it was second-round pick Ezra Cleveland — a college left tackle — answering the bell when the Vikings had a need at the guard position.
In 2021, it should be expected that first-round pick Christian Darrisaw will rapidly rise to the top of the Vikings depth chart. Offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak has noted that Darrisaw has already made some great strides, even saying that he has “exceeded expectations” to this point.
Vikings depth chart impacted by rookie offensive linemen…again
If the Minnesota Vikings’ offensive line is going to make a major leap in the 2021 season, they are going to need all of these young players to step up and find a way to gel together rather quickly.
Darrisaw was a major breakout player in college football over the course of the 2020 season although scouts and analysts liked his 2019 film as well. He made major strides in pass protection and is as impressive as you will see with his athleticism and foot quickness when asked to get out in space and make blocks on the move in the running game.
The Vikings were able to trade down in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft and still land Darrisaw, but the NFL Draft thievery didn’t end there for general manager Rick Spielman.
He was able to get Wyatt Davis out of Ohio State in the third round, a player who was long projected as perhaps the top interior lineman in the entire class.
As rookies, both Darrisaw and Davis are going to have to prove themselves over the course of training camp, but Vikings fans would be lying if they said they wanted a starting lineup of anyone other than Darrisaw and O’Neill at the tackles, Davis and Cleveland at the guards, and Bradbury at the center taking a leap forward in year three.
Having a home-grown offensive line is every NFL fan’s dream. The Dallas Cowboys once had a starting unit of home-grown players and it was a treat to watch that unit dominate.
The Cleveland Browns are not entirely home-grown, but the addition of left tackle Jedrick Wills and free agent right tackle Jack Conklin along with the emergence of former trade acquisition Wyatt Teller at guard propelled that unit into one of the league’s best in 2020.
The Vikings depth chart is unsettled as of late June, but if these two rookies can win starting jobs in 2021, this unit can take a huge leap forward.