How the Vikings can fix their offensive line using the current roster

Improving at Left Guard

This is currently the biggest issue on the Vikings’ offensive line. Pat Elflein was supposed to just slide over from center and fix this problem from 2018. He slid over this season, but it arguably got worse.

Elflein has struggled to get back to his rookie form following his surgeries. He has been a liability in pass protection and if he isn’t getting blown up by his defender, he grabs him and drags him down, drawing a costly holding penalty. It’s a good thing for Minnesota that the fix for this problem could already be on the roster.

The Vikings took Dru Samia in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft. Samia earned rave reviews in Minnesota’s OTAs and minicamp last year with his massive frame and overall size.

There was so much buzz surrounding this kid that many figured he’d compete for a starting job at one of the guard spots. That buzz cooled off quickly in the preseason as he was running with the Vikings’ third-stringers and it carried over to the regular season as he was rarely active on game day.

Samia did get some playing time in Minnesota’s regular-season finale against the Bears. He played quite well in that game, as Mike Boone had plenty of room to run and Sean Mannion was also given ample time in the pocket in part due to Samia’s pass protection. His solid play gave Vikings fans hope that he can compete for the left guard job in 2020.

Allowing Samia and Elflein to fight it out over the summer is how Minnesota could upgrade this position for next season. If Samia is flat out better, that’s great, let him start. If Elflein rises to the challenge and plays the way he did early in his rookie year, then that’s a win too.

Either way, this position can get upgraded by allowing these two blockers to fight for the job and giving it to the one who performs better in camp and in the preseason.