Kevin O’Connell makes future at one key position a lot clearer heading into the NFL Draft, and the answer won’t be popular
The Minnesota Vikings are interested in a young center in the NFL Draft, but they are still investing heavily into Blake Brandel.
Going into the offseason, the Minnesota Vikings had a multitude of needs, with one of them being to fix the offensive line.
It’s hard to quantify the issues on the line, especially with all the injuries they had. Of the over 5,100 snaps the unit took as a whole, nearly 1/3 of them came from the backups. Not having Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill on the field is a massive hit to the success of the unit, but they are expected to return healty in 2026.
They also made a change at offensive line coach, letting Chris Kuper go and promoting assistant Keith Carter to run the position group. The biggest issue they have right now is at center, and there is some clarity there.
Blake Brandel is working hard this offseason at center
Last season, Blake Brandel played center for the first time in his career after being a left and right tackle in college. He only kicked inside recently for the Vikings, including being the starter at left guard in the 2024 season. This offseason, he is working on snapping. Head coach Kevin O’Connell mentioned that, and another interesting tidbit about the position.
It’s really interesting that Brandel is working on playing center this offseason, because he’s been a solid player throughout his career. Where he wasn’t good was the actual snapping of the football. He sprayed the ball all over the place for the Vikings, and that impacted the quarterback’s ability to play football.
The really interesting quote from O’Connell is about how they view the NFL Draft when it comes to the center position.
“I do think it’s a position that’s got some really unique names in the draft, depending on where you may be looking to take one. Guys with experience, upside,” said O’Connell.
There are some really interesting prospects in the NFL Draft at the position.
- Connor Lew, Auburn Tigers
- Jake Slaughter, Florida Gators
- Sam Hecht, Kansas State Wildcats
- Logan Jones, Iowa Hawkeyes
The Vikings are likely to take one on either day two or day three of the NFL Draft, and they could end up competing for the starting job. For now, it looks like they have faith in Brandel.
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