Vikings Head Coach Kevin O'Connell said after the loss to the Rams in the playoffs last year (where Sam Darnold was sacked 9 times)
"we've got to find a way to solidify the interior of the pocket". The Vikings then executed a phenomenal free agency period on paper. They added two solid offensive linemen in Ryan Kelly and Will Fries. They signed a veteran swing tackle in Justin Skule. They added two stud defensive tackles as well. The theme is clear. The Vikings want to be stout on both lines of scrimmage in order to be able to seriously compete for the Lombardi Trophy.
The weakest spot remaining on the offensive line is at Left Guard where Blake Brandel played last season. It was Brandel's first full season playing guard and it was an up and down year. Since the Vikings have declared that they want to see JJ McCarthy start at quarterback and they have not added any veteran QB yet, the best thing they could do for JJ is to solidify the line in front of him.
The Vikings had "30" visits with Jordan Addison and Dallas Turner the last two years and ended up drafting both in the first round. The 30 visit list this year includes Donovan Jackson, Jonah Savaiinaea, Aireontae Ersery, Marcus Mbow, Shavon Revel Jr, and Derrick Harmon. The pattern is emerging that the team likes to bring in the potential first round picks. The potential first round picks in the visit list are Jackson, Revel Jr, and Harmon.
With Harmon off the board, Donovan Jackson is 6'4" 315 with and 83 3/4" wingspan with 33 1/2" arms. He made 40 starts and appeared in 53 games over his four-year career at Ohio State. He played the last 10 games of last season at left tackle after starter Josh Simmons was lost for the season with an injury. He allowed four sacks over 40 career starts. Former Vikings head coach
Mike Tice said "I think this is a can't-go-wrong player. How do you miss on the player like this? This player is going to be a good player in the league for quite a while."It is a wise move to invest more into the development of JJ McCarthy than to get another cornerback, safety, or defensive lineman. Donovan Jackson is an investment in the quarterback.
Mark P, Vikings Analyst -
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