The Minnesota Vikings cannot draft Tyler Linderbaum 12th overall
Let me be very clear, I really like Tyler Linderbaum and I think he is going to be a very good player at the next level. He should be a starter as soon as he steps onto an NFL field in the fall but the Minnesota Vikings cannot afford to invest at a significantly de-valued position this high in the draft.
Two things can be true – Tyler Linderbaum is a good football player but the Vikings should not target him with the 12th overall pick. Reaching for a center in the first round back in 2019 has left the Vikings with a need at the position just three years later and they cannot make the same mistake.
Linderbaum is probably going to be a very good NFL player but he is not the player the Vikings need, even if he turns out to be a star. The right guard spot has been a far bigger problem for the Vikings lately and using a premium pick on a center would likely keep them from addressing the other need early in the draft.
Minnesota can address needs in the secondary, at right guard, or even at wide receiver in the first round and it would be a better investment than using the 12th overall pick on Linderbaum. However, moving back in the first round and taking him a little bit later would still be worth monitoring.
Garrett Bradbury has not lived up to the hype of a first-round center and his time in Minnesota is probably coming to an end unless he turns things around in a hurry. Kevin O’Connell’s Rams made good use out of a similarly built center last season. Brian Allen and Garrett Bradbury are both a bit undersized for their position but Allen had success in this offense already.
Letting Bradbury have a chance to match that while addressing right guard later on would be a better investment and use of resources. Scheming things up to minimize Bradbury’s weaknesses and targeting a guard on Day 2 or even early on Day 3 could set the Vikings up for more success moving forward.