Once Again, Kevin O’Connell Confirms the Buzz Surrounding New Viking
Quite often, coaches like to downplay the offseason hype surrounding recent draftees. After all, the newest additions haven’t even participated in a real NFL practice let alone demonstrate proficiency against high-level opponents.
Kevin O’Connell isn’t letting that basic reality get in the way of hyping Donovan Jackson, the left guard scooped up at No. 24 in the 2025 NFL Draft. The head coach chatted with Kay Adams recently, spending a bit of the conversation discussing the team’s decision to opt for Ohio State’s Jackson. Something that hit the ear as being pretty striking was the coach’s insistence about Jackson having a “clean path” to playing time.
Kevin O’Connell and the Buzz Around Donovan Jackson
Upon first glance, Blake Brandel would appear to be a roadblock. Or, at least, a stop sign. O’Connell’s recent words make it sound as though he’s barely a yield sign.
Consider what O’Connell said about Jackson in the conversation with Adams: “Yeah, I think that draft pick was really — ultimate teams in this league, as they build their offseason plan, the teams that can pair free agency and the draft together, so that when the draft comes around, you can take the best player available. Take the player that can have a clean path to a significant role with your team.”
Don’t miss that final tidbit: a clean path to a significant role with your team. Folks, we’re not talking about receiver, corner, or other positions that need multiple players on the field at a time. There is only a single left guard on the field and O’Connell thinks that Jackson is moving forward without too much hindrance toward being the Vikings’ LG1.
Go ahead and consider what the head coach had to say previously. O’Connell likes what he sees when he pencils Donovan Jackson in alongside the team’s other top offensive linemen.
The head coach’s earlier thoughts: “Envisioning [Jackson] being on a front with potentially Ryan Kelly and Christian Darrisaw, Will Fries and Brian O’Neill. That’s a pretty formidable group on paper. We’ve got to make it come to life on the grass.”
Some key words stands out — formidable group — alongside the self-stated desire to see that fivesome get things squared away “on the grass.” In other words, Kevin O’Connell is hoping for a certain o-line crew and wants to bring it to fruition; Donovan Jackson is part of that plan.
Now, there should be a bit of a pause to acknowledge a different Kevin O’Connell quote.
After the draft, the Vikings’ head coach took some time to chat with Rich Eisen. The discussion came around to Donovan Jackson and what’s in store for the Vikings’ spiffy o-line. O’Connell did shoehorn Blake Brandel into that conversation: “To find Donovan Jackson available at pick 24, we were really excited about that, and really completed the full cycle. We still have Blake Brandel, who played a lot of good football for us a year ago and still very much should be considered part of the plans.”
Not long afterwards, O’Connell goes on to mention Walter Rouse, Michael Jurgens, and Justin Skule as other notable members of the o-line room.
Mentioning Brandel means that the versatile veteran isn’t a total afterthought, but it’s hard to get too bullish about him retaining the LG1 job given what’s been said. After all, the same quote delivered to Eisen mentions seeing Jackson as someone who “completed the full cycle” for the offensive line. Does that sound like someone who is expected to take a seat on the bench?
Sinking a 1st-Round selection into a guard means that the belief is that the lineman will start very early in his career, as Janik Eckardt argues on PurplePTSD. The mere statement that Jackson is the favorite to start is by no means a shocking revelation that needs hearty evidence to defend.
What’s notable, folks, is simply that Kevin O’Connell has so openly discussed his hope for Donovan Jackson — finishing off an intimidating o-line, having a path toward a large role, completing the offensive line — on at least a trio of occasions.
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K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter and Bluesky (@VikingsGazette). If you feel so inclined, subscribe to his Substack, The Vikings Gazette, for more great Vikings content.
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