After the 2018 season, the Minnesota Vikings desperately needed to address their offensive line issues. In the first round of the draft, they did exactly that by selecting Garrett Bradbury out of NC State.
Through the first few games of the 2019 season, the Vikings new center got off to a slow start. He struggled primarily in pass protection, but according to Pro Football Focus, that has begun to change.
In Bradbury’s first career start, he recorded a 0.0 pass blocking rating. Since then, he has continued to improve each week. In arguably one of the hardest games so far in his career, Bradbury recorded a pass-blocking grade of 85.2.
Even with one of the best front fours in the NFL, and a disruptive force in Fletcher Cox, the Eagles still had a hard time getting after Kirk Cousins. Cousins had a huge day through the air, and won the FedEx Air Player of the week for his Week 6 performance.
A huge reason for Cousins success on Sunday was due to the good pass protection he had all game long. He was sacked only one time, and clearly felt more comfortable in the pocket.
Making the transition from college to the NFL seems to take time for the majority of the rookies that come into the league each year. Bradbury started off slow throughout the first quarter of his rookie season, but it looks as if he has started to find himself at this level.
If the Vikings want to continue to find a balanced attack on offense, Bradbury will need to play a vital role in winning the battles in the trenches.
