Minnesota Vikings 53-man offensive roster projection: Pre-training camp
By Adam Carlson
Projected interior offensive linemen
Despite the chaos at offensive tackle, the interior of the line stayed somewhat consistent last season. Still, the Minnesota Vikings used one of their earlier draft picks to hold down the middle of the line and will see veterans locking down the other spots.
Alex Boone
Coming over from the 49ers, Boone became the left guard for the Vikings last season. “The Rhino” is expected to play that position again this year, where he should be able to play at a higher level with a more consistent offensive tackle next to him.
Pat Elflein
In need of a guard at the draft, the Vikings instead drafted a player who could be the franchise’s starting center for many years. Using Elflein as the team’s center during his rookie year opens up several other talented offensive linemen to compete for the starting right guard spot.
Joe Berger
Berger would have been fine as Minnesota’s starting center this year, but the Vikings were proactive in finding a long term answer. Now, Berger can shift outside to the right guard spot and provide stability for the young center and the new right tackle.
Nick Easton
Providing depth anywhere on the interior of the offensive line, Nick Easton proved to be a good center last year who is more than capable of playing either guard spot. He is still a young player honing his craft, and another season behind Berger might do the 25 year old some good.
T.J. Clemmings
Yes, Clemmings makes the team in 2017. He got a raw deal being thrown in as the starting right tackle as a rookie and got an even bigger challenge when he took on the task of being the team’s left tackle. Now, he moves his position to being a guard, where he doesn’t have to start and can finally have some time to develop without jumping around on the line.