After a Slow Training Camp, Wyatt Davis Shines in Preseason
Dustin Baker
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The Minnesota Vikings are plagued by two underwhelming preseason games in 2021, losing to the Denver Broncos and Indianapolis Colts — at home — to begin organized festivities this season.
Against the Broncos, the defense was nonexistent as head coach Mike Zimmer chose to rest 30 players. The offense didn’t fare well either. And then versus the Colts, the offense was a no-show, even showcasing some starters for two drives. In fairness, all levels of the Vikings defense played commendably against Indianapolis — stifling Colts quarterbacks Sam Ehlinger and Jacob Eason, who are not renowned for top-tier quarterback play.
The bright spot in both contests? Wyatt Davis.
Minnesota Vikings general manager Rick Spielman traded back nine places on the first night of the 2021 NFL with the New York Jets, grabbing the 23rd, 66th, and 86th picks from New York in exchange for the 14th choice and the 144th pick. The Jets flipped the 14th pick into Alijah Vera-Tucker — a player feverishly associated with the Vikings before draft night — and then traded the 143rd selection to the Las Vegas Raiders. The Vikings landed Christian Darrisaw (LT), Kellen Mond (QB), and Wyatt Davis (RG) in the deal.
The fallout from the trade in the first four months is not dazzling as Darrisaw hasn’t really played due to injury, and Mond isn’t ready for regular-season football.
But Davis looks the part.
Here’s a Pro Football Focus statistic to confirm:
Admittedly, the formatting of this tweet is strange. Nevertheless, it appears to nominate Davis as the NFL’s top rookie guard (or offensive lineman?) through two preseason games. That does not mandate a career’s worth of prosperity for Davis, but it is encouraging to watch the young man thrive out of the gate.
And here’s the skinny on the group:
The #Vikings had seven interior offensive linemen with a PFF pass blocking grade above 76 against the Colts: RG Wyatt Davis, RG Dakota Dozier, C Mason Cole, LG Ezra Cleveland, RG Oli Udoh, C Garrett Bradbury, and LG Kyle Hinton.
0 combined pressures allowed by that group.
— Will Ragatz (@WillRagatz) August 22, 2021
All indications point to Davis beginning his regular-season time as a reservist player. The Vikings have all but nominated Oli Udoh for right guard duty, situating him on the depth chart as RG1 while coaches vocally commend his maturation.
At the very least, Udoh will get the chance to prove he’s legitimate for the RG gig as the 2021 season begins. When Udoh started his ascension up the roster this summer, Davis was not a non-factor at training camp, battling an injury and hence not experiencing any first-team reps. But this takes time for rookies. There is no guarantee that Udoh succeeds at RG — offensive guards for the Zimmer brand of Vikings rarely do — so Davis could theoretically get the nod at any time.
Preseason suggests Davis could be ready. His draft stock at this time last year was that of a 1st-Rounder. He was hampered by injury during the 2020 campaign at Ohio State, jettisoning his draft selection to the 3rd Round. Luckily for the Vikings (we think), the Davis tumble to the 3rd Round might have been a blessing in disguise.
Finally, on Davis’ progress — the more the merrier at guard. In 2020, the Vikings employed two guards that bottom-fed the league for performance in Dakota Dozier and Dru Samia. An upstart Udoh and Davis plus some guard utility from Mason Cole, who the Vikings acquired via trade with the Arizona Cardinals, aids in erasing grim 2020 OL memories.
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