Well, Oli Udoh Is Just Plain Good

  |  
Sep 27, 2021
Vikings
Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports.

In 2020, the Minnesota Vikings were beset by horrid offensive guard play, making it next to impossible for the offensive trenches to protect Kirk Cousins.

And boom — stats like this persisted. These were commonplace in Minneapolis for seven seasons.

The Vikings signed a pocket passer in 2018 with Kirk Cousins — and chose to outfit his skillset with grotesque pass protection.

Now, thanks to men like Oli Udoh, the tide is turning. Through three weeks, the Vikings own an 89.3 pass-blocking efficiency per Pro Football Focus — an utter transformation with the stroke of one offseason. Minnesota ranks fourth in the business as of September 26, 2021, in terms of pass-blocking efficiency per PFF.

Brian O’Neill is a beacon of consistency, anchoring Minnesota trenches in OL seasons that were abysmal. Garrett Bradbury is slowly maturing. Ezra Cleveland has a respectable 64.6 PFF grade through three games. And then somehow, Rashod Hill is [sort of] holding up at left tackle until rookie Christian Darrisaw debuts.

Then, there’s Udoh — the surprise, unsung right guard who looks like Randall McDaniel compared to Dakota Dozier and Dru Samia. Here’s how Udoh ranks among the team’s highest-graded players in three games:

 

Good Lord.

By fans, Udoh was asked to perform not-terribly. Instead, he’s playing at a junior Pro Bowl clip.

A 6th-Round draft pick from the 2019 NFL Draft — guards can frequently be plucked from later rounds and succeed — Udoh took two seasons to emerge as Minnesota’s starting right guard. It is debatable if it was worth the wait — it probably wasn’t — yet Udoh is here now. And he is doing his job.

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Because of his accolades — along with the rest of the front offensive fivesome — Kirk Cousins has time to throw the football. What a marvel concept. Onlookers of the team may look back when this season is kaput and think, “All we needed to make Cousins go was a good offensive line?” Many fans asked for this in 2018. And in 2019. Then again in 2020. The summer of 2021, too.

Finally — for at least three weeks — the Vikings front office and coaching staff delivered. In a small sample size, the Vikings are a top-four bunch via pass protection efficiency. It almost feels mythical.

The fruits of their labor are tasteable. Cousins has tossed eight touchdowns to no interceptions, and no fumbles lost so far in 2021. The plan is working. Cousins, unbelievably, is teetering on MVP conversations. The Michigan State alumnus always possessed this skillset in his toolbag. But indeed, he needed to avoid ransacking from oncoming defenders to shine. That’s the deal for pocket passers. It’s not otherworldly. The world saw what happens when offensive lines deteriorate on the spot in the Super Bowl last year — even the mightiest of quarterbacks fall like flies.

Udoh’s balance is impressive. His PFF score for run-blocking is 72.4, his pass-blocking 68.7. He’s not an All-Pro commodity. That’s fine. The Vikings merely need competence up front on offense.

For now, they’re getting that and then some.

Now, Zimmer and Co. wait for the arrival of Darrisaw, who — in theory — could take this group to the next level. Rashod Hill’s PFF grade is 42.7. He’ll be replaced before too long.

Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sally from Minneapolis. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).