Throughout his tenure as Minnesota Vikings' general manager, Rick Spielman for the most part adopted a "throw stuff against the wall, and see if something sticks" approach to building the offensive line. The shackles of Kirk Cousins' contract(s) and keeping all the guys former head coach Mike Zimmer wanted to keep for his defense meant other positions had to give, and it would take time to fully emerge from those priorities.
The Vikings went into this offseason with a clear priority to fortify the trenches, and they got it done with notable additions on the interior offensive and defensive lines. The moves made in free agency carry some age/injury risk, but there is a window to take some calculated risks while you've got a quarterback on a rookie contract.
The Vikings completed the overhaul of their interior offensive line in the first round of April's draft when they to took Ohio State guard Donovan Jackson at No. 24 overall. He played multiple spots for the Buckeyes, including a notable run as an injury fill-in at left tackle last season, but he is the clear favorite to start at left guard for the Vikings right out of the gate.
Donovan Jackson lauded as solution to Minnesota Vikings' long-running issues at guard
Using a first-round pick on a guard generally produces yawns from fans, even if it's well-established how important it is to have a good offensive line and bad blocking draws easy ire. Jackson could end up holding down the Vikings' left guard spot for a long time, and there's a chance he never gets all the attention or accolades he deserves.
Ahead of the full onset of the dead time between minicamps and training camp, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler asked NFL coaches, scouts and executives what their favorite move of the 2025 offseason was. An anonymous coordinator tabbed the Vikings drafting of Jackson at No. 24 as their favorite.
"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."
With the long-running issues the Vikings have had at guard, having someone who could be locked in as a "solid 10-year starter" and who hypothetically "will make a few Pro Bowls" sounds pretty darn good.
Time will tell if Jackson fulfills those anonymous and lightly-presented prophecies. But they are legitimately in his range of outcomes, which is a refreshing change from what the Vikings have mostly cultivated at guard since Steve Hutchinson retired after the 2012 season.
Throughout his tenure as Minnesota Vikings' general manager, Rick Spielman for the most part adopted a "throw stuff against the wall, and see if something sticks" approach to building the offensive line. The shackles of Kirk Cousins' contract(s) and keeping all the guys former head coach Mike Zimmer wanted to keep for his defense meant other positions had to give, and it would take time to fully emerge from those priorities.
The Vikings went into this offseason with a clear priority to fortify the trenches, and they got it done with notable additions on the interior offensive and defensive lines. The moves made in free agency carry some age/injury risk, but there is a window to take some calculated risks while you've got a quarterback on a rookie contract.
The Vikings completed the overhaul of their interior offensive line in the first round of April's draft when they to took Ohio State guard Donovan Jackson at No. 24 overall. He played multiple spots for the Buckeyes, including a notable run as an injury fill-in at left tackle last season, but he is the clear favorite to start at left guard for the Vikings right out of the gate.
Donovan Jackson lauded as solution to Minnesota Vikings' long-running issues at guard
Using a first-round pick on a guard generally produces yawns from fans, even if it's well-established how important it is to have a good offensive line and bad blocking draws easy ire. Jackson could end up holding down the Vikings' left guard spot for a long time, and there's a chance he never gets all the attention or accolades he deserves.
Ahead of the full onset of the dead time between minicamps and training camp, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler asked NFL coaches, scouts and executives what their favorite move of the 2025 offseason was. An anonymous coordinator tabbed the Vikings drafting of Jackson at No. 24 as their favorite.
"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."
With the long-running issues the Vikings have had at guard, having someone who could be locked in as a "solid 10-year starter" and who hypothetically "will make a few Pro Bowls" sounds pretty darn good.
Time will tell if Jackson fulfills those anonymous and lightly-presented prophecies. But they are legitimately in his range of outcomes, which is a refreshing change from what the Vikings have mostly cultivated at guard since Steve Hutchinson retired after the 2012 season.
