INDIANAPOLIS — A new Vikings leadership brought a change in tone around the perennial lightning rod that is the offensive line.
The NFL scouting combine is typically where Vikings coaches and scouts dig deeper into the annual priority of finding better blockers. But General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and coach Kevin O'Connell kept the focus inward this week, preaching optimism about the linemen they've inherited, specifically tackles Brian O'Neill and Christian Darrisaw and guard Ezra Cleveland.
O'Connell sees "a lot to build off."
"The offensive line jumped out at me," O'Connell said. "The skill sets of both of our guys on the edge, the tackle position is very strong. I think the guard position, there's a lot of depth there. There's a lot to like. And then, in my mind, obviously, Garrett Bradbury in the middle is what you look for from a core center from a standpoint of communicating. We do a lot of things — we ask our center to do a lot of things. I know [center/guard] Mason Cole did a great job last year as well."
For five consecutive years, the Vikings drafted an offensive lineman within the first three rounds among Darrisaw and Wyatt Davis (2021), Cleveland (2020), Bradbury (2019), O'Neill (2018) and former center Pat Elflein (2017). Even with more changes possible in the interior line — the right guard spot is up in the air and Bradbury's inconsistent play could warrant competition this summer — the streak of drafting offensive linemen early might come to an end.
"Thankful that you have two really good tackles," Adofo-Mensah said. "As for the interior, we love Ezra. We think he's going to take a next step in our scheme. We like what we've seen out of him, and we think he's going to take that next jump this year."
O'Connell said his new system will be built around the linemen, too. But NFL Media draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah pointed to the past five Super Bowl winners as evidence that the most successful offensive systems — such as the Rams, where O'Connell was coordinator before being officially named Feb. 16 as the Vikings' new head coach — aren't necessarily propped up by the O-line.
"Only three of those 25 offensive linemen were homegrown, first-round picks," Jeremiah said. "It goes together because that [Rams] offense, you don't have to have the most talented offensive line in the league to be successful, because all that stretch — you're moving the pocket, there's the boot[leg] stuff off of that, there's getting the ball out of your hands quick. You're not getting yourself in too many unfavorable situations down-and-distance wise, because you're throwing on early downs."
"They'll take [the offense] to the next level. It's not going to be as offensive line-dependent as maybe some other teams."
That doesn't mean a new starter won't arrive soon, whether in free agency this month or the April 28-30 draft. The Vikings have all but three offensive linemen — Cole, guard Dakota Dozier and reserve tackle Rashod Hill — under contract through next season. Adofo-Mensah noted the trio of O'Neill, Darrisaw and Cleveland, who are all under contract through at least 2023, as a strong foundation. He thinks the new coaching staff can get more out of the rest.
"It's really easy to always look elsewhere," Adofo-Mensah said. "You might have great players in your building. I've been in Cleveland with Bill Callahan ... if there's many better assistant coaches, I don't know them. And what he's great at is identifying that lowest-hanging-fruit thing and getting the most out of players. [Offensive line coach Chris] Kuper will be the same way."
Bradbury, the highest-drafted center in franchise history at 18th overall in 2019, is entering the final season of his rookie contract. The Vikings have a May 2 deadline on his fifth-year option, although that might be too costly for the inconsistent first-round pick.
O'Connell said Bradbury can improve with the "right system."
"I see a guy with really, really good movement skills," O'Connell said. "A guy that was drafted really high for a reason. I can remember evaluating him through the [pre-draft] process. He did a lot of really good things in college, and it's just been a matter of finding the right fit for him and the right system. And what are you asking him to do snap in and snap out that gives him the best possible chance for success?"
