What the Minnesota Vikings can expect from Dru Samia in 2019
By Chris Schad
The Bad
Size
Just like the Vikings’ previous picks in the 2019 draft, the team will deal with another prospect that will have to get bigger to succeed at the NFL level.
Where Samia excels with his athleticism, his spider chart on MockDraftable reveals a prospect that is one of the smallest in this year’s class. However, the Vikings have been down this road before with right tackle Brian O’Neill, who became Minnesota’s starting right tackle by the end of last season.
Body Control
While Samia has shown the ability to get to the next level and deliver a powerful block, too many times he can get pushed around by bigger, stronger defensive linemen. Adding some strength will be a priority in his development, but he does have a solid foundation.
Samia cranked out 28 bench press reps at this year’s NFL Scouting Combine, which placed him in the 71st percentile of offensive linemen according to PlayerProfiler.
Technique
Samia’s stance is a little unorthodox and he’ll need to work on things such as hand placement and overall technique to succeed. If he’s given time to develop, learning from Vikings offensive line coach Rick Dennison should benefit the young guard.