3 players who could fill in for Vikings RG Pat Elflein

Ezra Cleveland

This might be a little puzzling for some since rookie Ezra Cleveland spent his college career at Boise State lining up as an offensive tackle. But during the Vikings’ training camp this summer, the team had him primarily lining up as a guard.

Perhaps it was just to improve his versatility and make him more useful as a utility lineman until he can find a spot in the starting lineup. But Cleveland is one of the few left on Minnesota’s active roster who is familiar with the duties that are required from the team’s right guard.

Now, he is a rookie and he’s only had a little more than a month to practice and learn the Vikings’ blocking schemes, so putting him out there in Week 2 might be a little too risky.

But Minnesota doesn’t have a ton of options when it comes to guys who are already on their roster that could replace Pat Elflein.

Cleveland likely won’t be the Vikings’ first choice as their next starting right guard. But if their first selection ends up not working out, Minnesota could look to give the rookie a shot at the role down the road.