With Vikings right guard Dru Samia being inactive for the matchup against Atlanta, Minnesota needed a new offensive lineman in the starting lineup.
Enter the rookie Ezra Cleveland. The Vikings announced that Cleveland will make his first NFL start at right guard for the Week 6 game. Cleveland, a second-round pick out of Boise State, was thought by some to be a possible opening day starter, but that did not work out.
Now, the rookie gets a chance to step up and prove that he’s a starter. In 2018, then-rookie tackle Brian O’Neill was the backup to Riley Reiff and Rashod Hill. When Reiff went down with an injury, O’Neill got his chance and hung onto the starting position afterwards.
Maybe that happens with Cleveland.
