Stat projections for the Minnesota Vikings’ 2019 rookie class
By Nik Edlund
Alexander Mattison – RB
Analysis:
Not a ton of folks were familiar with this running back from Boise State. But when taking a closer look at Mattison’s game, it’s hard to not be excited about his potential role in the Vikings’ offense as a rookie.
Mattison won’t win any races, but he’s a powerful runner with a nose for the end zone He’s a got a dash of Marshawn Lynch in his game and he can also catch the ball if need be. Mattison is a great replacement for the power back Minnesota lost in Latavius Murray and the rookie will compliment Dalvin Cook quite nicely next season.
Prediction:
- 406 rushing yards, 5 TDs
- 17 catches, 126 yards
Mattison is going to have a role on the Vikings in 2019 regardless if Cook stays healthy or not. He should see a handful of touches per game and a lot of those could be inside the five-yard line. With his brutal running style, Mattison will be hard to bring down and he should convert many of those opportunities into points for Minnesota’s offense.
Dru Samia – OG
Analysis:
Samia is a big physical blocker from the extremely talented Oklahoma Sooners 2018 offensive line. He has some experience at playing right tackle from early in his college career, but he really found his home at guard.
Samia was a team leader, a favorite amongst his teammates at Oklahoma, and he is a guy who will compete for playing time early in his NFL career.
Prediction:
- 4 total starts, active for all 16 games
Samia has a real shot to win the starting right guard away from the Vikings’ big free agent signing of the offseason, Josh Kline. Even if he doesn’t beat Kline out, the competition between these two will make them both better and Minnesota’s offensive line as a whole much improved.
At this point, the safer pick is to go with the veteran Kline. But it wouldn’t be one bit surprising to see Samia take over the job at some point during the 2019 season.