Vikings Interior Offensive Line Preview: Can Garrett Bradbury Make a Leap?
With the NFL Draft in the rearview mirror, we're going to take an early look at each position on the Vikings' 2020 roster. We'll break down any notable competitions for certain roles or roster spots before making a prediction on who makes the 53-man roster, who winds up on the practice squad, and who will be continuing their football career elsewhere. We conclude our six-part preview of the offense with a look at the interior offensive line.
The interior of the Vikings' offensive line was a fairly consistent weakness last season. NC State center Garrett Bradbury was a perfect schematic fit as the 18th overall pick in the 2019 draft, but he struggled with the transition to the NFL. Pat Elflein was moved from center to left guard to accommodate Bradbury and had a similarly rough season. The best player among the starting trio was right guard Josh Kline, a free agent acquisition from the Titans who proved more capable in pass protection than his younger teammates.
So what did the Vikings do this offseason? They released Kline in a surprising move that cleared up just $1.5 million in cap space while adding $4.5 million in dead money onto the books. It's possible that Kline's age – he'll turn 31 at the end of the upcoming regular season – and his history of concussions factored into that decision. Regardless, releasing Kline has left the Vikings with question marks at both guard spots as they head into the 2020 season. That's not ideal for a run-heavy team that is spending a lot of money on a quarterback who typically requires a clean pocket to thrive.
Read: Early Game-By-Game Record Prediction for the 2020 Vikings
The uncertainty at guard is a pressing issue, but we'll get to that in a second. The most important storyline when it comes to the interior OL is how big of a leap Bradbury can make from year one to year two. The 2018 Rimington Award winner (given to the best center in college football) made a ton of sense for the Vikings in the first round due to his talent, their need at the position, and the fit. Bradbury is an elite athlete for his position who can make all of the reach blocks and second-level climbs required of linemen in Gary Kubiak's zone-blocking scheme.
Throughout a rookie season in which he started every game from Week 1 to the divisional round of the playoffs, Bradbury's mobility was obvious and his sky-high upside was shown in flashes. However, his main perceived weaknesses entering the NFL – length, power, anchoring ability – didn't suddenly fix themselves, and the results weren't pretty. Bradbury surrendered 29 pressures and four sacks, and his pass-blocking grade from Pro Football Focus was a very poor 41.4. He was solid as a run-blocker but was overwhelmed by interior pass-rushers like Kenny Clark and Grady Jarrett.
It's not nearly time to panic about Bradbury just yet. Historically, it takes offensive linemen longer to adjust to the NFL and have success than it does players at most other positions. Bradbury was better in the second half of his rookie year than the first and is too talented to not improve in his second season, but whether he takes a minor step forward or a major one remains to be seen. If he remains stagnant in year two, especially in pass protection, it might be time to start being concerned that Bradbury could follow the path of Elflein, who won the 2016 Rimington Award at Ohio State but didn't cut it as a starting NFL center through two seasons.
Read: The Top 10 Offensive Rookies the Vikings Will Face in 2020
Speaking of Elflein, the 2017 third-round pick is running out of time to salvage his career – at least as a starter – as he enters year four. Like Bradbury, Elflein is an athletic player who is valuable as a run-blocker. But the move to left guard didn't solve his issues in pass protection, as he surrendered a team-high 32 pressures and six sacks. At this point, it's now or never for Elflein, who will be a free agent after the season. He has dealt with various injuries throughout his career, but he was relatively healthy last season and still struggled. Elflein will face plenty of competition at left guard in 2020; Rick Spielman said after the draft that there will be "wide-open competition" at both guard spots.
That open competition also applies to the right guard position, where the release of Kline has created a gaping hole. The favorite to take over that starting job is Dru Samia, who the Vikings selected out of Oklahoma in the fourth round last year. Samia essentially "redshirted" during his rookie season, working with offensive line coach Rick Dennison on his technique and consistency. Samia, who is eight years younger than Kline, possesses an intriguing combination of mobility in the running game and anchoring ability against bull rushes. Spielman and Zimmer have praised him on multiple occasions throughout this offseason; it's clear that the Vikings would love for Samia to step up and emerge as the team's right guard of the future this year.
The Vikings re-signed a pair of veterans to one-year, $1 million deals for depth this offseason: center Brett Jones and guard Dakota Dozier. Jones is a solid veteran who began his career with the Giants and can also play some guard. Dozier started four games and played over 350 snaps last year across both guard spots, but the former New York Jet received low grades from PFF and doesn't appear to be anything more than a decent backup.
There was some thought that the Vikings would address the interior offensive line early in April's draft; I even had them taking Michigan's Cesar Ruiz in the first round in a few mocks. Ruiz went 24th overall to the Saints, and the Vikings let round after round pass without taking an interior lineman. Spielman waited until his 15th and final pick, the 253rd out of 255 total, to take Kyle Hinton from D-II Washburn University. Despite being taken so late, Hinton is interesting because of his elite athleticism. With some development and added strength, he could be a great fit in Kubiak's offense.
The Vikings also signed several IOLs as UDFAs. Two guards, Tyler Higby from Michigan State and Brady Aiello from Oregon, will battle to make the roster or stick around on the practice squad. Center Jake Lacina was the D-II Rimington winner at Augustana and is the son of former Viking Corbin Lacina.
Predictions
Starters: Pat Elflein (LG), Garrett Bradbury (C), Dru Samia (RG)
Make 53-man roster: Brett Jones, Kyle Hinton
Practice squad: Tyler Higby, Brady Aiello
Cut: Dakota Dozier, Jake Lacina
The only guaranteed starter here is Bradbury, who I do think will take a solid step forward in year two. Keeping Elflein at LG isn't a sexy pick, but I think his run-blocking prowess and his overall experience will give him a leg up during a shortened offseason. Samia is the front-runner at right guard until something changes. I honestly thought Hinton might have an outside shot to start at one of the guard spots, but the Vikings apparently are moving him to center. Jones and Hinton will give the Vikings some versatility as backups, with Dozier being the odd man out.
It's worth noting that Riley Reiff, Oli Udoh, and Aviante Collins could theoretically factor into the equation at guard, but the Vikings have them listed as tackles so I discussed them in that preview.
Other post-draft position previews
- Quarterbacks: Sorting Out the Three-Man Backup Competition
- Running backs and fullbacks: Will Dalvin Cook get paid?
- Tight ends: Expect Irv Smith Jr.'s Role to Increase in Year Two
- Wide receivers: Justin Jefferson Isn't Stefon Diggs, and That's OK
- Offensive tackles: Will Ezra Cleveland Start as a Rookie?
The defensive position groups begin this week.
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