5 biggest Vikings 2020 draft needs at the midpoint of the season

Left Tackle

Riley Reiff has been decent this season. Occasionally, he’ll be the reason for Kirk Cousins getting shellacked or the cause of a crippling holding penalty. But for the most part, he has held his own this year.

The veteran offensive lineman is 30-years-old and he has just two seasons remaining on his contract after this year. So the Vikings getting his heir apparent on the roster during the upcoming offseason is imperative.

Minnesota has some okay depth behind Reiff this year, but no one who is slated to become the future starting left tackle any time soon. Rashod Hill is an adequate backup and Dakota Dozier can fill in if there’s an emergency, but that’s about it. They do have young Oli Udoh waiting in the wings, but he is still very much a project who needs much more seasoning.

The Vikings would love to land the left side equivalent of Brian O’Neill in the 2020 draft. He has become the team’s best offensive lineman and he has allowed just one sack this season. He’s a special player.

The 2020 offensive tackle draft class was looking pretty deep earlier in the season. Some of the top prospects have suffered injuries though and suddenly it is looking more top-heavy than deep, which means the Vikings may not find what they want in the later part of round one.

So even though this is a need and Minnesota could select one early in the 2020 NFL Draft, the value may not be there. That’s okay because they were able to land O’Neill in the second round in 2018. So talent can be found after that glorious first day of the NFL Draft.