Image courtesy of Vikings.com
Todd McShay of ESPN released his NFL mock draft 2.0 Tuesday morning. He has the Vikings selecting Notre Dame OT Mike McGlinchey at pick #30 in the first round. He wrote:
Minnesota came up short in the NFC Championship Game, but this is a very solid roster with good depth throughout. The biggest question mark is at QB, but that will be solved one way or another in free agency. Even after investing in the offensive line last season (Mike Remmers, Riley Reiff) they could use some more depth there. McGlinchey is a good player who played left tackle at Notre Dame but will likely be an RT at the next level. He’s an experienced starter with great character. Minnesota has had success with Fighting Irish players in the past (Harrison Smith, Kyle Rudolph).
McGlinchey is listed at 6-foot-7 and 315 pounds. He’s a 3-year starter on Notre Dame’s offensive line. According to Pro Football Focus, the senior was the highest-graded offensive tackle in 2017, earning a 90.6 grade from PFF.
Many mock drafts have McGlinchey going in the top half of the first round. For him to fall past multiple teams in need of offensive line upgrades all the way to pick #30 would be welcomed by the Vikings, who are seeking to add more depth in the trenches.
The Vikings’ offensive line improved after multiple key additions last offseason. Free agents Mike Remmers and Riley Reiff shored up the tackle positions, and draft picks Pat Elflein and Danny Isidora added youth to the interior.
However, losing starting left guard Nick Easton to injury late in the season forced the team to experiment with multiple rotations. Remmers, Rashod Hill and Jeremiah Sirles were shuffled in and out of the lineup. Adding a tackle like McGlinchey could push Remmers inside to guard permanently. The move would help replace starting right guard Joe Berger, who’s expected to retire this offseason.
Potential 2018 offensive line starters:
LT – Riley Reiff – LG – Mike Remmers – C – Pat Elflein – RG – Nick Easton – RT – Mike McGlinchey
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Olineisgoodqbatayoungageisalso
I'd take that any day. Of course, If Mason Rudolph or Lamar Jackson is there, I couldn't pass on a QB.
This is shaping up to be a really interesting offseason. I still have the feeling some major changes are about to take place in the NFL
If I had my druthers, I'd draft a guard in the first round. I don't really get the sentiment to move Remmers in to RG. He's played tackle virtually his entire career and is perfectly solid at RT, adequate in pass protection and very good in run blocking. Need I remind folks that Remmers outgraded Riley Reiff for the season over at Pro Football Focus? I'd rather sign Andrew Norwell and draft two or three offensive linemen to see if we can improve on our depth and overall talent level on the OL.
I'd be fine with a guard or tackle TBH. Remmers did have a very solid season at RT and I think he'd be a good guard too. Adding someone like Norwell would be fantastic. Then you're most likely looking at a lineup of Reiff - Norwell - Elflein - Easton/Isidora/Sirles/Draft pick(s) - Remmers