Vikings select OT Oli Udoh in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL Draft

The Minnesota Vikings selected the small school prospect in the sixth round of the NFL Draft. But his long term prospects will depend on learning how to live up to his imposing stature.

The Minnesota Vikings have continued to revamp their offensive line as the third day of the NFL Draft has rolled along.

After drafting North Carolina State center Garrett Bradbury in the first round on Thursday night and also selecting Oklahoma guard Dru Samia earlier on Saturday afternoon, the Vikings added another new face to their offensive line in the sixth round in former Elon offensive tackle Olisaemeka Udoh with the 193rd overall pick.

Udoh is a prospect that holds some intriguing measurables, but his most noticeable traits surround being one of the biggest prospects in the draft.

At 6-foot-5, 323 pounds, and an 85 and 1/8 inch wingspan, which ranked in the 95th percentile of offensive line prospects in this year’s draft class, this sixth-round pick has the intangibles to become a dominating prospect, but he will need time to develop.

As it stands right now, Udoh has some interesting comparisons on MockDraftable with Jacksonville’s Jawaan Taylor (2019 second round) and Cam Robinson (2017 second round) as well as  Baltimore’s Ronnie Stanley (2016 first round) and former New York Jets left tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson.

Before Vikings fans simply plug Udoh in as the left tackle of the future, there are some deficiencies he must overcome. The biggest will be learning how to play the position as he’s still a raw prospect that must work on his technique, footwork, and the use of his hands for more power at the point of attack.

According to The Draft Network’s Kyle Crabbs, he also needs to learn to play the game with his edge as his size sometimes doesn’t match up to what his physical stature suggests.

Either way, Udoh will be a long-term prospect that is worthy of a lottery ticket selection in the sixth round in the draft.

With Riley Reiff’s future uncertain after the 2019 season, Udoh will likely learn under offensive line coach Rick Dennison this year and, if all goes well, he could have a massive payoff down the road.