Minnesota Vikings plan of attack for the 2019 NFL Draft
By Nik Edlund
First-Round Targets:
- Jawaan Taylor – OT
- Jonah Williams – G/T
- Andre Dillard – OT
- Cody Ford – G/T
- Garrett Bradbury – C/G
- Ed Oliver – DT
- Devin White – LB
- Devin Bush – LB
- T.J. Hockenson – TE
- Noah Fant – TE
- Christian Wilkins – DT
- Rashan Gary – DE
- Clelin Ferrell – DE
- Dalton Risner – OL
- Chris Lindstrom – OG
Plan of Attack:
The Vikings will have every intention of taking an offensive lineman with their first pick of the draft this year. They will be watching the board closely with a keen eye on the teams that are taking offensive linemen and the ones who could also do so, but still have yet to pick.
Even if there is an early run on big beefy blockers, chances are good that either Cody Ford or Garrett Bradbury is available for Minnesota in the first round.
Ford would be plugged in at left guard from the start and he could stay there for the next 10 years. He could also be moved to tackle when whenever the Vikings decide to say goodbye to Riley Reiff. If Minnesota opts for Bradbury, he would likely be placed at center and Pat Elflein would move to guard, improving two positions at once.
The only thing that could detract the Vikings from taking an offensive lineman with the 18th pick is if someone unexpected fell to them. Ed Oliver, Devin White, Devin Bush, and T.J. Hockenson are some of the guys who could provide value too good for the team to pass on.
If for some reason the offensive line crop is picked clean when Minnesota on the clock for their first pick, they should look to move down to the back end of round one. They could then take versatile offensive lineman Dalton Risner or a solid guard from Boston College in Chris Lindstrom.
All this being said, the smart money has either Ford or Bradbury ending up in purple with the team’s first choice this year.