The good news is the Minnesota Vikings were up two spots in Pro Football Focus’ final offensive line rankings for the 2021 season. However, the bad news is they’re still ranked in the bottom-half of the league.
The unit finished the season at No. 23 in the rankings with rookie first-round draft pick Christian Darrisaw earning the second-highest grade on the line. It’s a great sign of things to come for the former Virginia Tech standout with him following a strong season from right tackle Brian O’Neill, the team’s top-graded offensive lineman.
Center Garrett Bradbury became a folk legend with his absolutely ridiculous 21-yard reception in the team’s Week 17 loss to the Green Bay Packers. But he has clearly struggled on the line this season, along with right guard Oli Udoh.
At least the youth movement appears to be trending in the right direction with Darrisaw making an immediate impact. Left guard Ezra Cleveland has also been decent in his second year with the team, and we still don’t know what to make of Wyatt Davis just yet.
The ability to keep quarterback Kirk Cousins upright in the pocket is imperative to the team’s success. It’s likely that the offensive line is one of the main areas that will come under the microscope once the new general manager is hired, and the team officially begins to build for the 2022 season.
It isn’t like the team hasn’t made a lot of effort to shore up the line issues. Both Bradbury and Darrisaw are first-round draft picks, while O’Neill and Cleveland were taken in the second round.
