Right Guard
Here’s a battle that will be between two guys and it will be key to the Vikings success in 2019. Minnesota brought in former Tennessee Titans guard Josh Kline in free agency this offseason with the intention of him being the starter in 2019.
But in round four of this year’s NFL Draft, the Vikings took behemoth guard Dru Samia from Oklahoma and suddenly a competition was born.
Samia has done nothing but impress since being drafted by the team. He moves well for being so large and he brings a ton of nastiness to the field every snap of the football. Samia has a lot of coaches excited and he could end up seeing playing time much earlier than Minnesota had originally envisioned when they drafted him.
Competition between these two will only be a good thing for the Vikings. Kline did have a down season last year and should by no means be handed a starting job. Being pushed by Samia will only make him work harder and he can help bring his play back up to the level where it was a few seasons ago.
If Kline isn’t up to the task and Samia outplays him during training camp and in Minnesota’s preseason games, then the team will have the best option starting for them at right guard and the line will be vastly improved. This is a win-win situation for the Vikings and their offensive line will be better in 2019 because of it.