Anonymous NFL coordinator praises Vikings draft selection as '10-year starter'
Anonymous NFL coordinator praises Vikings draft selection as '10-year starter'
Whenever an offensive lineman is drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft, it can be met with a yawn from fans. However, when the teams and the front offices look at them, they are seen as building blocks towards the bigger picture.
That bigger picture includes running lanes and keeping a quarterback's jersey clean, like infrastructure spending.
The Vikings made a pick like that in April when they selected Donovan Jackson, the Ohio State guard, with the 24th overall pick. Other players on the board could have been more exciting, but Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O'Connell knew they wanted J.J. McCarthy to have every reason to succeed.
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler recently reported it wasn't just people within the Vikings facility who were fans of the pick, but also people outside of it. He revealed when speaking with an anonymous NFL coordinator that he described Jackson as, "You know why I really like this pick? He's going to be a solid 10-year starter. Not sure he's elite, but he will make a few Pro Bowls and be a really good player for a long time."
Jackson joins Ryan Kelly and Will Fries as new starters within the interior of the Vikings' offensive line in 2024.
Jackson's projection as a 10-year starter fits in with the Vikings' view of McCarthy as their long-term quarterback answer. We rarely see Buckeyes and Wolverines work well together, but these two will put those allegiances aside for their Super Bowl aspirations.
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White performed well in that role in OTAs, but he's best coming off the bench at this stage of his career. Eichenberg and Gainer need to show significant special-teams value and progress on defense to make the team. Starters: Eric Stokes, Darien Porter Depth: Jakorian Bennett, Decamerion Richardson, Darnay Holmes Analysis: Stokes and Porter were the starting cornerbacks throughout OTAs. Bennett is still recovering from his surgery to repair a torn labrum in November, however, and could push for one of those spots once he's at full strength. Richardson looks like more of a depth option on the outside, while Holmes is currently the only viable slot corner on the roster. Starters: Jeremy Chinn, Isaiah Pola-Mao Depth: Lonnie Johnson Jr., Thomas Harper Analysis: Chinn will spend a lot of time lined up at nickelback and working in the box. When he lined up in those areas in OTAs, the Raiders often brought Johnson onto the field as a third safety. Unless the Raiders sign an upgrade at nickelback, expect that to continue into training camp. Harper was solid last season and may push Johnson for his role. K Daniel Carlson P AJ Cole LS Jacob Bobenmoyer Analysis: The Raiders have had an All-Pro-caliber kicking battery for years, and there's no reason to expect that to change. Carlson is going into the final year of his contract and could be in line for an extension soon.
