5 things to know about Vikings rookie Ezra Cleveland

2. Bleacher Report’s scouting report of Cleveland was…interesting

When your favorite team uses a relatively high-round pick on offensive lineman, you hope that player is a sure-fire commodity, right?

Bleacher Report disagrees. In fact, Cleveland is proclaimed by Bleacher Report to be the complete opposite of a sure bet. On Cleveland, Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller concludes:

“As one of the more polarizing players in this class, Cleveland carries a considerable amount of boom-or-bust potential.”

So, if you subscribe to this prognosis, Cleveland is either going to be delightful or a total swing-and-miss. This is likely due to Cleveland’s unconventional style — quick and mobile rather than fat and stationary.

For the Minnesota Vikings scheme, though, this ilk of a lineman is just what the doctor ordered. Offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak fancies a zone-blocking scheme where his offensive linemen are spry and swift. This enables Kubiak to implement his offensive bread-and-butter, a combination of misdirection and play-action playcalling.

Should Kubiak be around the Vikings for an extended stay — which would be a change of pace for Vikings offensive coordinators — Ezra Cleveland has the build to jell aptly with the offensive scheme.