5 options who could start at guard for the Vikings in 2020

Dakota Dozier

Dakota Dozier is an interesting option if the Vikings want to go with an established veteran to buy some more time for their younger players. Added as depth prior to the 2019 season, Dozier was pressed into action several times due to injury. But as the sample size grew, his performance tailed off.

Vikings fans’ first glimpse of Dozier wasn’t a good one as he started at left guard in Week 2 against the Green Bay Packers. Perhaps a foreshadowing of the team’s performance later in the season, Dozier was dominated by Za’Darius and Preston Smith and he allowed six pressures as Minnesota walked out of Lambeau Field with a loss.

The overall effort wasn’t much better as Dozier allowed 13 total pressures in four starts for the Vikings last season. While his attempts were admirable as Minnesota slogged through the season, it shouldn’t be enough to be considered a favorite to win a starting job in camp.

In the end, Dozier should be considered as a solid depth piece to throw into a game when things go wrong. Think of him as the interior version of Rashod Hill, who doesn’t offer much in terms of overall performance, but can play either side and hold it down for a short period of time.