Vikings Rookie Is Finding His Footing
Coming into this season, there was a lot of excitement surrounding this Minnesota Vikings team.
A big reason for that excitement came because of the added beef in the middle of Minnesota’s offensive line. Of course, that offensive line has not entirely lived up to the hype largely because of some major injuries that have continued to haunt the group.
However, one piece of the offensive line, a Vikings rookie, is beginning to emerge after being given high priority in this spring’s NFL Draft.
A Vikings Rookie Is Beginning to Emerge
It was a bit of a rocky start to the season for Donovan Jackson, being blamed for multiple QB hurries in three of his first five games and being given PFF grades below 60 in four of them.
However, part of that rocky start could have something to do with the fact that Jackson missed a pair of games (Weeks 4 and 5) because of injury. Now, though, it seems he is beginning to turn things around as the Vikings head into the back half of the year.
After Minnesota’s loss to the Baltimore Ravens this past Sunday, PFF’s Dalton Wasserman put out rookie reports through the first half of the season with some rising praise for the Vikings’ first-round pick.
“Jackson was charged with five pressures allowed to the Ravens, although the fact that they were spread across 48 opportunities is a big reason why he still earned a solid 71.2 PFF pass-blocking grade. He has now logged 70.0-plus PFF pass-blocking grades in two straight weeks and seems to be finding comfort after recovering from his early-season injury,” wrote Wasserman.
On top of a solid game against the Ravens last weekend, Jackson was very impressive in Minnesota’s win against the Detroit Lions, allowing just a single pressure in 32 pass blocking snaps.
Jackson’s rise is especially impressive given the lack of certainty on the offensive line around him. Ryan Kelly has been out for six games this year because of multiple concussions, and Christian Darrisaw has missed some time because of his continued rehab from his ACL/MCL injury last season.
Now, though, the Vikings o-line could be beginning to gel. Darrisaw seems to be in a decent spot with his recovery as he’s been playing in games at a high level, and just this week, Kelly returned to practice.
If the Vikings can get their offensive line fully put back together for the home stretch, it may be the spark they need to make a final playoff push.
Editor’s Note: Statistics for this article were found via Pro Football Focus.
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