Vikings draft preview: Offensive line is under construction
In the days leading up to the 2016 NFL draft, which runs April 28-30, we will break down where the Vikings stand at each position group on the roster. The Vikings have the 23rd overall pick. Today, we continue the series with a look at the offensive linemen.
No team has been more determined to improve its offensive line this offseason than the Vikings. Perhaps no quarterback needed his team to do this more than the Vikings’ Teddy Bridgewater.
A day after the playoff loss to Seattle — a game in which the Vikings averaged 2.2 yards per carry before before Blair Walsh went wide left at the end — coach Mike Zimmer fired offensive line coach Jeff Davidson. A day after that, Zimmer put all of his starters on notice that no job is safe. And that includes left tackle, where the team decided to pay Matt Kalil nearly $12 million in the option year of his rookie contract.
Zimmer and General Manager Rick Spielman added some much-needed aggression to the line by hiring no-nonsense line coach Tony Sparano and making former 49er Alex Boone the prized free-agent signing of 2016. Boone probably will start at left guard, but has the body and skill set to play multiple spots, including left tackle if he had to.
The later signing of former Bengal Andre Smith created a three-man battle at right tackle with second-year player T.J. Clemmings and Phil Loadholt, who took a pay cut to try and put his career back together after missing all of last season and a chunk of the 2014 season because of injuries. Smith is the favorite.
Right tackle isn’t the only spot where the competition will be heated when the team gets to Mankato for training camp. Brandon Fusco will move from left guard back to right guard, where Mike Harris is the incumbent. Harris signed a one-year deal and won’t go to the bench quietly.
At center, John Sullivan returns from two back surgeries but won’t automatically push aside Joe Berger, a career backup who played well last season.
The Vikings appear to be interested in interior linemen in the draft. Unless for some strange reason a top tackle like Laremy Tunsil falls all the way to No. 23, look for the Vikings to go another direction in the first round and circle back to the line on Friday and Saturday.
Projected starters: LT Matt Kalil, LG Alex Boone, C Joe Berger, RG Brandon Fusco, RT Andre Smith.
Don’t forget about: John Sullivan. He played very well two years ago and has been the leader on the line when healthy. But he’s coming off two back surgeries, a year out of the game and he’s on the wrong side of 30. Considering all of that and the fact Berger was the team’s best lineman a year ago, one shouldn’t assume that Sullivan steps right back in as a starter.
Level of need: Moderate. With all the moves made in free agency, the Vikings can go to camp with what they have. But if there’s something that’s too good to pass up, they’ll probably keep trying to add strength to the position they deemed their No. 1 offseason priority.
Five prospects to remember: Laremy Tunsil, T, Ole Miss; Germain Ifedi, G, Texas A&M; Darrell Greene, G, San Diego State; Denver Kirkland, T, Arkansas; Rees Odhiambo, G,
Our best guess: If someone too good to be true falls to the Vikings, don’t be surprised if the overhauling of the offensive line continues with a first-round draft pick. But after all they’ve done so far this offseason, the more likely scenario has the Vikings using the second and third days of the draft to add more youth to the line.