Offensive line is at the top of the list of biggest needs for the Minnesota Vikings during the upcoming NFL draft and there’s one prospect in particular who seems to be the perfect solution.
Heading into the 2016 season, the Minnesota Vikings thought their offensive line was filled with a solid core.
Matt Kalil was entering a make-or-break season on the fifth-year option of his rookie contract, Andre Smith was signed to a one-year deal to compete with the now retired Phil Loadholt, Joe Berger was coming off one of the best seasons of his career, Brandon Fusco was expected to rebound after switching back to his more natural position of right guard, and the team’s prized offseason acquisition was the signing of guard Alex Boone to a four-year, $26 million deal.
The Vikings felt that they had their best offensive line in quite some time among those guys. That proved to not be the case, while dealing with a plethora of injuries, the team experienced eight different combinations throughout the season.
The injuries to the unit ultimately derailed the season, despite a fast 5-0 start. Quarterback Sam Bradford was constantly having to escape the pocket to avoid being sacked within seconds of receiving the snap and there were never any clear lanes in the running game.
With that being said, it’s expected that the team will address the offensive line with their first pick in the draft, which is pick number 48 in the second round. The 2017 class is considered to be one of the weakest in recent memory, but that narrative is simply not true in my opinion.
The offensive tackle crop is weak for sure, but the interior group has a lot of mid-round depth. After the release of guards Mike Harris and Brandon Fusco, the team shored up their needs at both tackle spots with the signing of Mike Remmers and Riley Reiff, but there still is a huge hole at right guard.
The 2017 offensive line class is considered to be one of the weakest in recent memory, but that narrative is simply not true.
This is where Indiana guard Dan Feeney comes into play for the Vikings. It’s widely considered that the former Hoosier is a second to third-round pick, but I will be shocked if he gets out of the second round.
Why does Feeney fit the VIkings?
He was a four-year starter in his time in Bloomington, starting 41 games at right guard and five at right tackle due to injuries and emergency situations. What you get with Feeney is someone that has natural awareness for a guard. He’s played a lot of games, so he has many reps at right guard and he understands the intricacies of the position.
Below a prime example of Feeney (number 67) in pass protection. He consistently does a great job of stopping defensive lineman in their tracks when engaging in blocks. He mirrors the defender, while also maintaining the inside leverage of the defenders chest. Also, you notice that he keeps his feet alive and moving, enabling him to react to whichever path the defender tries to take.
Feeney has only allowed two sacks in 3,355 career snaps according to Pro Football Focus. Using proper technique similar to the example above is a reason why he has been so dominant in pass protection. He understands how to transfer his weight, shoot his hands violently and keep his feet moving all while engaged with a defensive lineman.
In the running game, Feeney is a fighter, meaning that he “tooth and claws” for every single yard. He has a tendency to be overaggressive at times, in turn that makes him overextend and be a bit of a head ducker, but the good outweighs the bad by a wide margin in his overall technique.
Feeney is best suited for a zone blocking scheme because he has above average feet, resulting in him being able to move well in tight spaces. Indiana predicates themselves on running a heavy amount of inside and outside zone.
Below is an example of an outside zone clip. The center (number 65) and right guard (Feeney) are responsible for the play-side nose tackle (number 93) who is aligned as a “one technique” or on the inside shoulder of Feeney.
Florida International (the opposing team) sends a blitz with the Mike linebacker. As a result of this, the center has to take the blitzer head on, and Feeney now has a “single block” against the one-technique. A single block is a one-on-one block with him versus a defensive lineman.
What you notice about this clip is that the defender is trying his best to cross Feeney’s face. But what is so savvy about this play is that Feeney understands that it is outside zone and the running back’s job on this play is to find the natural crease on the play-side.
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Feeney does a great job of using what’s called the “can opener” technique, which consists of him using his inside arm and placing it on the defender’s inside shoulder and running him to the sideline. This technique makes him open his hips and as a result, he is a non-factor in the play.
Another example of Feeney in the running game features the Hoosiers once again running outside zone, but the difference between example number two and the current example below is that they are implementing a “pin/pull” scheme. Teams often use a pin/pull scheme when they are running outside zone to an attached tight end in the formation. In the previous example, there wasn’t a tight end in the formation.
A pin/pull scheme assigns the tight end to the play-side defensive end, while two other offensive lineman pull and get out. The center is guaranteed to always be one of those pullers, while the other puller can be the play-side guard or tackle, depending on the defensive alignment.
Between the play-side guard and tackle, whoever has a defender on their inside shoulder must execute a “down block”, while the other becomes the second puller.
The play-side tight end executes his down block, while the tackle has a defender on his inside shoulder, so he must be the other player who makes a down block. The center and right guard (Feeney) are responsible for getting out and blocking the Sam linebacker and the Mike linebacker flowing over the top of the defense. Feeney is the first puller to get out.
He is not a great athlete by any stretch of the imagination, but he does a great job of getting depth on his pull, enabling him to maintain the inside leverage on the Sam LB, which allowed him to execute a kick-out block and eliminate the LB from the play.
Overall, Dan Feeney is a prospect with an extremely high football I.Q. His biggest question mark is his overall athleticism and concussion history.
For some odd reason, there’s the narrative out there that he has suffered multiple concussions, but that is simply not true. He’s only had one concussion, which came last season and resulted in him missing four games.
Next: Vikings' 2017 schedule to be released on Thursday
Feeney would be a perfect fit for the Vikings at pick number 48 not only because he fills an immediate need, but also because he brings a nasty edge and is a player who possesses tremendous upside at a position that hasn’t had an identity since the “Poison Pill” days of Steve Hutchinson. Feeney would be the ideal plug-and-play right guard the team has sorely lacked.