There weren't many times when the Minnesota Vikings announced their selection in the 2025 NFL Draft, but they made the most of their picks.
Minnesota entered the draft with just four selections, but came out with five. The focus was more on offense, with three of their five picks being on the offensive side of the ball.
While many did not find the Vikings' draft as exciting as what the other 31 teams did, Minnesota still did plenty of work to add depth in key positions. There was one pick that ESPN NFL analyst Field Yates was a big fan of compared to the rest of the picks.
Who on the Minnesota Vikings is Field Yates calling his favorite pick from the 2025 NFL Draft?
ESPN recently released an article in which 17 of their NFL analysts gave their favorite and least favorite picks of the 2025 NFL Draft. Yates was a big fan of the Vikings' first-round pick, Ohio State guard Donovan Jackson. It was Jackson's versatility that grabbed Yates's attention.
"Jackson was 20th overall on my board, as I am extremely bullish on his positional versatility, power, toughness and overall play temperament. The Vikings began this offseason saying they would get their trenches in order and have done it."
Last season, Jackson showed off his versatility by making nine starts at left tackle and five at left guard. His performance earned him a second-team All-American and first-team All-Big Ten selections in 2024. He was previously included on the All-Big Ten team in 2022 and 2023.
Where Jackson drastically improves the Vikings' offensive line is at left guard, as he is expected to take over for last year's starter, Blake Brandel. In 2024, Brandel was ranked in the bottom half of guards in the main grading sections by PFF. This includes ranking 90th out of 136 in run block grade (57.9), 74th out of 136 in pass block grade (61.4), and 99th out of 136 in overall grade (55.2).
The left side of the offensive line for Minnesota is solidified with 25-year-old left tackle Christian Darrisaw and Jackson at left guard. Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah did plenty of work with the interior offensive line this offseason, with Ryan Kelly at center and Will Fries at left guard.
Some wanted Minnesota to take a cornerback or safety in the first round to help add a second starter with Byron Murphy Jr. or find the successor to Harrison Smith. Jackson can start right now and give quarterback J.J. McCarthy the protection he needs on his blind side for a long time.