No member of the Minnesota Vikings’ offensive line has been more scrutinized during the past two years. But has he been given the best chance to succeed?
After just two seasons in the NFL, Minnesota Vikings offensive tackle T.J. Clemmings has gone from a promising prospect to one of the worst rated blockers in the league by some football specific websites.
But that is just the thing. Most forget that he has only been playing in the NFL for two seasons and is still just 25-years-old. Forget the fact that he has only been in the league for two seasons, he has only been playing his position for the past four years.
While at the University of Pittsburgh, Clemmings played on the defensive line during the 2011 and 2012 seasons. But in 2013, he switched to the offensive side of the ball and has been a tackle ever since.
TJ Clemmings had highest run blocking grade among draft-eligible OTs https://t.co/lwHgnmv0PO
— PFF (@PFF) April 29, 2015
When the Vikings drafted the 6-foot-6, 315 pound Clemmings in the fourth round of the 2015 NFL Draft, Minnesota had absolutely zero plans of throwing him into the starting lineup during his rookie year. But a season-ending injury to Vikings right tackle Phil Loadholt forced the team to put Clemmings out on the field much earlier than they had hoped.
His rookie year was not the greatest by any means, but he did start all 16 games at right tackle for Minnesota in 2015 and showed a few flashes (still probably being generous) of promise at times during the season. But the in-game experience he gained during his rookie year would prove to be valuable in his progression leading up the 2016 season right?
Well, nope.
Instead of gaining some valuable time on the bench during his second year in the NFL, Clemmings was forced back into the starting lineup just three games into the 2016 season. And this time, he was forced to play left tackle for the Vikings after a hip injury ended Matt Kalil’s season early.
During Clemming’s short career as an offensive lineman, he had just one game of experience as a left tackle. It occurred at the 2015 Senior Bowl.
So not only was he entering just his fourth year as an offensive lineman, he was forced into playing a virtually unknown position. Not exactly the most favorable of circumstances for a player who was still trying to develop into a decent blocker.
Clemmings ended up starting 14 of the Vikings’ 16 games in 2016 and 11 them were with him at left tackle.
According to Pro Football Focus, he gave up a total of nine sacks and 58 quarterback pressures last season. In addition, the website gave Clemmings their lowest grade among NFL offensive tackles in 2016.
But to be honest, someone would have a pretty valid argument if he or she tried to state that last year was basically a second rookie season for Clemmings. He had to learn an entirely new position and then go try an block some of the league’s best pass rushers whether he was ready or not.
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When Clemmings was being evaluated as an NFL prospect back before the 2015 draft, he was regarded by most as a project who should not be asked to start during the early part of his pro career. But injuries to other linemen forced Minnesota to start Clemmings in 30 of a possible 32 regular season games in the last two years.
Some may view the offensive lineman as a lost cause after just two seasons, but that is far from the truth.
For Clemmings to be given the best possible chance to succeed in the future, the Vikings need to pick just one position for him to focus on. Either list him as a right tackle or a left tackle, not both.
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His career is still salvageable, but what may be best for Minnesota is to keep Clemmings off of the field for awhile no matter what situations may arise with their offensive line in the future.