Minnesota Vikings: Grades and analysis for the 2019 NFL Draft
By Adam Carlson
Round 1 – Pick 18 overall
Garrett Bradbury, center – North Carolina State
Heading into the draft, there were a lot of questions as to what the team was going to do with their first-round pick. The obvious choice was to address the offensive line, but there were also some long-term moves which could be made their salary cap or depth situations better at other positions.
During the draft process, I kept looking at offensive tackles or guards the team could be interested in. Despite rumors of Riley Reiff moving to guard or the team making a play for a starting guard, Minnesota instead drafted a center, where it looked like Pat Elflein was set to return.
However, the Minnesota Vikings know exactly what they are doing. Bradbury is a perfect fit for the team’s new zone blocking scheme and is an immediate starter at center. This will move Elflein outside to guard where he should have a much better campaign than he did in 2018.
His 6’3 and 306-pound frame will do wonders for the team at center. He stood up to tough competition in college and should excel at the NFL level. With the addition of Josh Kline and the progression of Brian O’Neill, the Minnesota Vikings look like they have finally secured a solid offensive line for the run game as well as Kirk Cousins.
Bradbury was a first round value among all experts, so the value was absolutely right where the team selected him.