2 weeks Ago
The Minnesota Vikings made Ohio State guard Donovan Jackson the 24th selection in the NFL draft on Thursday night, completing an offseason overhaul of the interior of their offensive line after ignoring an opportunity to trade down and add to their small number of picks. The 6-foot-4, 315-pound Jackson, who was the third guard taken behind Alabama's Tyler Booker at No. 12 and North Dakota State's Gray Zabel at No.
18, was a second-team Associated Press All-American for the national champion Buckeyes. Jackson was a three-year starter at left guard before moving to left tackle midway through his senior season after an injury at that position. “He’s got size.
He’s got length. He’s got power," Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell said. "A lot of things that we’re very excited about.
” After struggling for several years to stabilize their offensive line, the Vikings finally got aggressive and signed center Ryan Kelly and right guard Will Fries in free agency — both away from Indianapolis — for a combined, guaranteed total of more than $53 million. Now they'll likely have three new starters in the middle between standout tackles Christian Darrisaw and Brian O'Neill. Center Garrett Bradbury was released and signed with New England.
Right guard Dalton Risner became a free agent. Left guard Blake Brandel, who was drafted as a tackle, could become a versatile backup. The timing couldn't be better, with the offense about to be turned over to quarterback J.
J. McCarthy, whose preseason knee injury last year prevented him from playing as a rookie. The Vikings have only three picks remaining in this draft, one in the third round on Friday and one each in the fifth and seventh rounds on Saturday.
Because of that and their lack of a glaring need, unlike last year when they drafted McCarthy, they were a prime candidate to move down. There were two trades made right behind them, with the New York Giants and Atlanta Falcons swooping in to pick at No. 25 and 26, but general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said the Vikings were too enamored with Jackson to be tempted to slide down with the risk he'd go elsewhere.
For years, the tackles were the biggest-money positions on the line, but the guards have been catching up in importance — and salary. “I think you’ve seen in the market the value that’s been assigned to it,” Adofo-Mensah said. AP NFL: https://apnews.
com/hub/NFL.
