Vikings host versatile Ohio State prospect who could solve their offensive line needs for good
Over the course of free agency, the Minnesota Vikings made a major commitment to fixing the trenches. Not only did they add two interior defensive linemen, they also improved at both center and right guard with Ryan Kelly and Will Fries. There are questions about whether the Vikings would choose to add a high-end left […]
Over the course of free agency, the Minnesota Vikings made a major commitment to fixing the trenches. Not only did they add two interior defensive linemen, they also improved at both center and right guard with Ryan Kelly and Will Fries.
There are questions about whether the Vikings would choose to add a high-end left guard to fortify the line once and for all. The door is still open, as they hosted Ohio State offensive lineman Donovan Jackson on a visit ahead of the NFL Draft.
Vikings host Donovan Jackson on a visit
The Vikings have done their due diligence across the board, hosting players across multiple schools, positions, and draft stock. They have drafted five players they have hosted on top 30 visits, while also drafting five teammates of players they have hosted over the last three years. Along with that, eight undrafted free agents have taken visits to Minnesota.
Jackson is an intriguing player. He was the starting left guard for the Buckeyes at the beginning of the year and played really well. Then, after left tackle Josh Simmons tore his patella tendon against Oregon, Jackson kicked out to left tackle and went on a Linsanity run, playing the best football of his career.
Because of that run, there were discussions about whether or not he should get an opportunity to play tackle in the NFL. If he were to be drafted by the Vikings, he'd almost certainly play guard, but that flexibility is never a bad thing.
What's interesting is the comments that general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah had during his pre-draft press conference. Those comments signal that offensive guard might not be a priority, because you can find them outside of the first round and in free agency.
"I built the chart myself. I've seen other different charts, and they all take different assumptions that, or quite frankly, this is a hard exercise. How do you value a great player in a great position? You could assign a number to it, right, when you assign that number to it does that incorporate the scarcity of that type of player? If you don't get that player in the draft, you can't typically get that player in free agency. So how do you put a number on that aspect of it? It's in different people at different ways of doing that. And again, I've seen people in San Francisco do it in Cleveland, do it myself, all the different things. And you appreciate the different methods. I think the best thing you can do is understand why each chart is built the way it is, and kind of, maybe, for each decision you make, understand how you're using it for you, and kind of go with that chart value there. It's a great question. It's a fascinating thing. I don't know that anybody's going to solve it, because, you know, you're trying to assign a number to a thing that's not really perfectly easy to do."
What will the Vikings end up doing? I can't say for sure, but Ohio State players are definitely on the list to keep an eye on.
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