Two Minnesota Vikings attend conference for offensive linemen

The Minnesota Vikings are doing everything they can to be ready for the 2019 NFL season including having two players attend a conference for linemen.

Last year, the offensive line of the Minnesota Vikings truly struggled. After the unexpected passing of their positional coach, the unit never seemed to bounce back and had difficulty opening holes in the run game and protecting quarterback Kirk Cousins.

The team is doing everything they can to improve upon last season. Not only did they invest heavily in the line during the 2019 NFL Draft but they signed a quality free agent, hired coaches, and altered the blocking scheme. Hopefully, those efforts will reap some rewards this season.

Still, the players themselves are putting in work as well. In fact, the Pioneer Press reports that rookie center Garrett Bradbury and fourth-year guard/tackle Rashod Hill recently attended a conference to gain knowledge and technique on the offensive line.

Called the Offensive Line Masterminds Conference, many NFL linemen gather in Frisco, Texas to learn from notable instructor Duke Manyweather, who is a notable instructor when it comes to teaching and refining blocking techniques.

This is the second consecutive year Hill has attended the conference and the first year Bradbury has participated. The rookie said he got quite a bit out of the experience.

"“It was a unique opportunity,’’ said Bradbury, taken with the No. 18 pick in April’s draft. “Several NFL veterans, just to hear from them, we talked through a whole bunch of different topics.’’"

In fact, the 18 overall selection of the 2019 NFL Draft credited the conference with some great tips on succeeding mentally and learning about recovery techniques. These are skills which could help the young center adapt a little more quickly to the professional level.

It’s great to hear so much effort and dedication going into making sure the offensive line of the Minnesota Vikings can succeed in 2019. Hopefully, this knowledge will be passed on to the rest of the team’s offensive linemen and massive improvement can be made.