Vikings Draft 2022: Three-round mock draft to maximize Kirk Cousins
By Luke Parrish
Second-Round Pick
Darian Kinnard – IOL (Kentucky)
Darian Kinnard was a star right tackle at Kentucky, but he projects as more of a dominant presence at guard in the NFL. His experience on the right side of the line is good news for the Vikings as they look for reliability at right guard moving forward.
The Vikings have already transitioned one tackle prospect to the interior of the offensive line and could do the same in 2022. Kinnard has the functional strength and power to be a force in the ground game but is also a solid pass protector. Putting him next to Brian O’Neill would take the pressure off of him as a pass blocker while improving from Oli Udoh at that spot.
The expectation for Kinnard is to start at one of the guard spots right away at the next level. He will be dominant on the ground and projects as a great asset for a play-action-based passing attack, which is what Kevin O’Connell will bring in from Los Angeles.
Kirk Cousins has been given a lot of excuses since arriving in Minnesota, most of which come from his lack of offensive line help. Joe Burrow quieted some of those concerns and proved that elite quarterbacks can win without a star-studded offensive line, but the Vikings could still improve in that regard.
Rather than using a top-15 selection on a guard, the Vikings can wait until the middle of the second round to get a starting-caliber lineman. This is a good scenario for the Vikings, especially if they can fill out the defense a bit through free agency.