Since Rick Spielman took over as general manager, the Vikings have found ways to attract talent later in the draft process. The team even hired players like Adam Thielen and Anthony Harris as non-hired free agents.
That said, the team’s choices in the first round were right or wrong. Sure, Justin Jefferson proved to be a stellar prospect, but in previous years, Vikings didn’t always catch a player who was worthy of a first assault.
Pro Football Focus recently chose Minnesota’s worst choice in the past five years: the choice of Garrett Bradbury’s first round in 2019. Here’s what Michael Renner of PFF said about the choice:
“The Vikings’ selection of Bradbury contains several errors. He torpedoed the career of Pat Elflein, whom they called on the previous year, as he was much more suited to the central position. He will also likely continue to put you in that no-man’s-land for many years. That’s because he is good enough in the racing game not to be replaced, but a responsibility in protecting passes. He earned pass protection scores of 41.4 and 38.8 in his first two seasons. The icing on the cake is that the next two selected centers – Elgton Jenkins and Erik McCoy – are two of the NFL’s best domestic line players. “
If Bradbury can improve pass protection, Minnesota could really make big strides on the offensive line next year. But that is only if the Vikings keep Riley Reiff. The team also needs a new left guard. So a lot needs to happen, but the Vikings are not far from having a decent offensive line. And having that would certainly be a big help.