Vikings Rookie a “Top 10 Fit” in NFL
On April 24th, 2025, the Minnesota Vikings completed a long overdue offensive line overhaul, using the draft’s 24th overall pick on Ohio State guard Donovan Jackson.
One Vikings rookie is apparently in the perfect place for his career trajectory.
Choosing a guard was certainly in Vikings’ fan prediction orbit, but most thought North Dakota State’s Grey Zabel would be the selection.
Minnesota opted for Jackson, and according to CBS Sports, he’s instantly a Top 10 rookie fit in the NFL.
Donovan Jackson a Top 10 Rookie Fit with Vikings, Says CBS Sports
Chris Trapasso ranked the Top 10 rookie fits for teams around the business, and Jackson checked in at No. 8, sandwiched between T.J. Sanders (No. 9, DT, Buffalo Bills) and Derrick Harmon (No. 7, DT, Pittsburgh Steelers).
He explained, “The Vikings had a left guard problem. Even as Kirk Cousins played his typically efficient football in 2022 and 2023, and Sam Darnold removed the draft-bust shackles from his arm in 2024, that position in the trenches held back an otherwise remarkable Minnesota attack, led by perennial All-Pro Justin Jefferson.”
“Astutely, the Vikings addressed that weakness first in the draft, with a guard who enters the league with a sterling reputation at the position, dating back to his high school days. Jackson was the No. 1 interior offensive line recruit in the country in the graduating class of 2021, per 247 Sports.”
Before the Jackson pick, the Vikings hadn’t drafted a Round 1 guard in 37 years.
Trapasso added, “He quietly went about his business at guard with the Buckeyes, playing remarkably reliable football for three seasons — while allowing a mere 23 total pressures in that time frame — before being asked to moonlight at left tackle after Josh Simmons’ torn patellar tendon in 2024. Jackson passed that test with flying colors.”
“A long, athletic, well-balanced NFL-ready blocker is precisely what Minnesota needed as it enters the J.J. McCarthy era, and I also love this prospect-team pairing because Jackson will get to play between Christian Darrisaw at left tackle and Ryan Kelly at center.”
New Seattle Seahawks safety Nick Emmanwori from the University of South Carolina topped Trapasso’s list.
A Revamped Offensive Line
Minnesota handed the Los Angeles Rams an NFL-record 9 sacks in the team’s Wildcard Round postseason loss four months ago. That’s right. Rams defenders pummeled Sam Darnold nine times for sacks during that one-and-done tragedy.
So, the Vikings fixed it.
In response, they signed Will Fries (guard) and Ryan Kelly (center) from free agency, two Indianapolis Colts offensive linemen to replace Ed Ingram and Garrett Bradbury, respectively.
Drafting Jackson served as a chef’s kiss, and now the purple team has this offensive line for 2025 and beyond:
LT: Christian Darrisaw
LG: Donovan Jackson
C: Ryan Kelly
RG: Will Fries
RT: Brian O’Neill
Not bad, eh?
Vikings Heard Your Requests
The cool part? Fans have asked this of the Vikings for years. Actual years.
For too long, the other good teams in the NFL often showcased mouthwatering offensive lines, while Minnesota threw together a patchwork solution, hoping for the best but never realistically on par with teams like the Philadelphia Eagles, a squad that just won a championship.
With the additions of Fries, Kelly, and Jackson, Minnesota is now in the conversation with those teams possessing upper-echelon offensive lines. Plain and simple.
No Trade Back
Pre-draft smoke suggested that general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah could trade back from his No. 24 hole, seeking to acquire more picks because he had just four entering the draft.
The young executive refused the temptation, though, picking Jackson at No. 24 and calling it good. Adofo-Mensah traded out of his pick three years ago during his first draft, later picking Lewis Cine and Andrew Booth, and he appears to have learned a valuable lesson.
The days of “just trade back” for Minnesota in Round 1 may be over.
PurplePTSD on the Offensive Line
Meanwhile, onlookers are excited — like really jacked — about Minnesota’s new trenches.
PurplePTSD‘s Brevan Bane recently wrote, “Led by Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill, the Vikings’ offensive line will likely have an entirely new outfit on the interior. They go from Blake Brandel, Garrett Bradbury, and Dalton Risner/Ed Ingram, to Donovan Jackson, Ryan Kelly, and Will Fries. That might be the single biggest whole-unit upgrade in the NFL this offseason.”
“Last season, per NFL Pro, the Vikings’ offensive line provided their QB with 3.08 seconds time-to-throw per pass, the second-best in the entire league. However, while giving the QB a lot of time to make a decision is inherently a great thing and the entire point of the offensive line, it did still lead to a high pressure rate; 39.3% to be exact, the third-highest in the NFL in 2024.”
The aforementioned Ingram ended up with the Houston Texans, and Garrett Bradbury signed with the New England Patriots.
Bane added, “Vikings’ ball carries also only achieved the 20th-most yards before contact on their rush attempts in 2024, an indicator that the offensive line was getting penetrated at a high rate. Their rushing play success rate was 39.2%, the 6th-worst in the NFL in 2024.”
“Considering the absolute maulers the Vikings filled the interior offensive line with in the 2025 offseason, I predict these metrics will balance out and paint the picture of a top 5 offensive line in the whole dang NFL.”
With a reconditioned offensive line in the chamber, the Vikings will learn their 2025 scheduling fate on Wednesday night when the league announces the order of their opponents.
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