Donovan Jackson Pick All about More Support for J.J. McCarthy
Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and coach Kevin O’Connell hitched their wagon to QB J.J. McCarthy in last year’s draft when they picked him No. 10 overall. So it’s no surprise that this year’s first-rounder is guard Donovan Jackson, who should be part of a massive upgrade in the Vikings’ interior offensive line in 2025.
Donovan Jackson Pick All about More Support for J.J. McCarthy
The shaky late-season performance of last year’s interior threesome — center Garrett Bradbury and guards Blake Brandel and Dalton Risner (who replaced Ed Ingram as the starting right guard early last season) — in the regular season finale against the Lions and the wild card playoff loss to the Rams was the last straw. Especially in light of nine sacks by the Rams, with the majority coming inside.
The revamping of the interior offensive line began in free agency with lucrative contracts for ex-Colts Ryan Kelly and Will Fries to play center and right guard. Now Jackson steps into the mix as a highly rated and versatile player on Ohio State’s national championship team last season, when he started the season at left guard and moved to left tackle after a mid-season injury to Josh Simmons, and performed well in both spots. He started 26 games at left guard in 2022 and 2023 before splitting time at LG and LT last season.
While Jackson could be a quality NFL tackle, the Vikings are set there — barring injuries — with Pro Bowl caliber OTs in Brian O’Neill and Christian Darrisaw (who will be back from his ACL injury amid the good news that he’s lifting and running in the offseason program that has begun).
So, the 22-year-old Jackson is expected to win the left guard spot over Brandel and 2024 sixth-round pick Walter Rouse. Both Brandel and Rouse should be good backups at guard or tackle, as Brandel was at tackle in his first four seasons with the Vikings.
It’s clear the Vikings want to provide McCarthy with the best possible pass protection to give him time to hit his outstanding receiver corps. And an improved interior O-line should lead to increased production for the running game as they open more holes for Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason, the one-two punch at running back. McCarthy and the passing game obviously will benefit from a stronger rushing attack, especially in the play-action game O’Connell loves to utilize.
Jackson was a solid player at Ohio State. The 6-4, 315-pounder was a fine pass protector as well as an excellent run blocker at the college level, and the Vikings need that fine form to carry over to his NFL career. I like that he was a key contributor to a championship team last season, just as McCarthy was the year before at Michigan.
Sam Darnold is probably asking why the Vikings didn’t give him that kind of support up front last season by hitting free agency hard and spending a first-round pick on a guard.
If Jackson comes through as expected and the rest of the starting O-linemen stay healthy after all four other starters dealt with injuries last season, then this could be the Vikings best offensive line since the 1998 group led by Hall of Fame guard Randall McDaniel and his fellow outstanding Pro Bowlers Todd Steussie and Korey Stringer at the tackle spots and Jeff Christy as a Pro Bowl center.
An elite O-line would be extremely helpful as a key ingredient in McCarthy’s quick development into a playoff and Pro Bowl caliber QB under the tutelage of O’Connell and QB coach Josh McCown.
The Vikings surely were tempted by two quality defensive backs who were picked shortly after Jackson went at No. 24 overall—safety Malaki Starks (picked by Baltimore at No. 27) and corner Maxwell Hairston (Buffalo’s pick at No. 30). Another highly-rated safety — Nick Emmanwori — also was available at the Vikings’ spot and was not a first-round pick but should be an early second-rounder. Jahdae Barron went to Denver at No. 20, and he’s another DB that the Vikings probably were interested in.
A corner and safety are strong possibilities in the third and fifth rounds (and if the Vikings add a third or fourth round pick via trade). However, they are clearly happy with the addition of Jackson as they should be, and McCarthy definitely is.
Around the NFL Observations
1. I thought the other NFC North teams did well with their first-round picks. TE Colston Loveland of Michigan was Chicago’s pick at No. 10, and new coach Ben Johnson hopes Loveland becomes a tight end similar in production to the Pro Bowler he had at Detroit in Sam LaPorta.
Green Bay picked Texas’ Matthew Golden as the first WR they’ve drafted in the first round since Javon Walker in 2002. With Christian Watson too often injured, Golden should become WR1 for the Packers.
Jackson of the Vikings could be battling with his former Ohio State teammate Tyleik Williams, a DT picked at No. 28 by Detroit. Williams is a handful as a massive interior D-lineman who joins talented Lions D-linemen Aidan Hutchinson and Alim McNeill as they return from injuries that derailed their 2024 seasons.
2. I thought it was a bold but smart move by Jacksonville to trade 2025 second and fourth rounder and next year’s first rounder to Cleveland to move up from No. 5 to No. 2 and select ultra-talented WR/CB Travis Hunter who should be a game-changer on both sides of the ball for the Jaguars. They needed to do something big to add a playmaker for QB Trevor Lawrence while also potentially helping their defense for a team that made the playoffs in 2022 but fell to 9-8 in 2023 and 4-13 last season.
I also think the Giants did well with grabbing top edge player Abdul Carter at No. 3 and then trading into Houston’s No. 25 spot to pick QB Jaxson Dart. They preferred Dart over Shedeur Sanders (who somewhat surprisingly fell out of the first round).
The G-Men gave up second and third-round picks in this draft and a 2026 third-rounder in the trade, and it will be well worth it if the strong-armed and mobile Dart becomes a quality starter in the future. He’ll likely back up Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston to begin his career, but he could push his way into the starting lineup if things don’t go well for the vets in camp or early in the regular season.
The Vikings Have Done It Again
Jeff Diamond is a former Vikings GM, former Tennessee Titans President and was selected NFL Executive of the Year after the Vikings’ 15-1 season in 1998. He now works for the NFL agent group IFA based in Minneapolis and does other sports consulting and media work along with college/corporate speaking. Follow him and direct message him on Twitter– @jeffdiamondnfl
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