-the introduction of Gary Kubiak's zone-blocking scheme
-the employment of coaches to implement and teach it
-the addition of talented players to play it
After a disappointing 2018 season, Kubiak and his trio of coaching friends arrived in Minnesota to assist freshly promoted offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski. This combination worked so well that quarterback Kirk Cousins had his best season, the Vikings arguably became an offensive team, they upset the New Orleans Saints in the first round of the playoffs, and Stefanski was hired to be the head coach of the Cleveland Browns. Kubiak is now the offensive coordinator. He and his trio of coaching friends are a year more familiar with the players that they teach and coach. The players are now a year more familiar with the coaches and the scheme in which they play. Perhaps most importantly, the players are more talented and a better fit for this particular blocking scheme. In each of the past three drafts, the Vikings have selected an offensive lineman in the first or second round.
2018: Brian O'Neill, RT, 2nd round
2019: Garrett Bradbury, C, 1st round
2020: Ezra Cleveland, LT, 2nd round
Those three players must become offensive line cornerstones. O'Neill is real close to being that player. Despite a sometimes rough rookie season, Bradbury often flashed as the player that the Vikings drafted him in the first round to be. Cleveland is obviously an unknown but he's strikingly similar to O'Neill as a prospect. Hopefully his NFL development follows a similar progression. I'm so eager to see Cleveland start that development that I'm hoping that he starts at left tackle as a rookie. This would move incumbent Riley Reiff to left guard. This would give the Vikings a projected 2020 offensive line that looks something like this.
| LT | Ezra Cleveland |
| LG | Riley Reiff |
| C | Garrett Bradbury |
| RG | Dru Samia |
| RT | Brian O'Neill |
That's a youthful line. At 31, Reiff is the veteran leader. It's good to have a veteran leader on a line that includes a third-year player (O'Neill), two second-year players (Bradbury, Samia), and a rookie (Cleveland). I also like a long-time starting left tackle lining up next to a rookie left tackle. If Cleveland has an issue he can look to his right for experienced advice. Samia is the outlier of this hopefully developing offensive line group. He's the one mid-round pick (2018 4th round) As a result, he's the one player that wasn't ushered into the position that he's probably going to play. He also brings a little bit of nasty to his play. As long as it doesn't bring drive-crushing penalties, an offensive line needs a little bit of nasty.
It just feels like the Vikings are finally heading in one unified direction with the offensive line. It's a very good feeling. I can't help but rush things along and gaze ahead to the Vikings offensive line of a few years from now.
| LT | Ezra Cleveland |
| LG | Oli Udoh |
| C | Garrett Bradbury |
| RG | Dru Samia |
| RT | Brian O'Neill |
Seeing as Reiff is the only player on the projected 2020 offensive line not on his rookie deal it only follows that he's the only player not on the future offensive line. Cleveland, Bradbury, and O'Neill are givens. They were each drafted in early rounds to be cornerstones. In my future, they develop into cornerstones. I'm hoping that Samia makes right guard his position for the long haul. He just strikes me as a glue-type player. He might not ever be a standout of the line but he's the sort of player that can hold the line together. He could be a right guard like David Dixon once was. Or Anthony Herrera. At least that's how I see Samia's potential in the Vikings offensive line without ever having seen him as a full time part of it. I really like the raw talent and potential of a couple recent late-round, small school offensive linemen. The Vikings selected Oli Udoh out of itty bitty Elon in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL Draft. He was drafted as a tackle. In preseason appearances last year he engulfed and overpowered edge rushers. In an opportunity against the Chicago Bears in Week 17, he handled Khalil Mack on a snap or two. As a late-round, small school rookie, Udoh was impressive. So impressive that I think that he might have a future as the Vikings left guard. The Vikings selected Kyle Hinton out of itty bitty Washburn in the seventh round of the 2020 NFL Draft. If he'd played at Iowa or Wisconsin, he might've been a Day 2 pick. He's yet to step on a professional football field so it's all guesses at this point. He's a roster wildcard right now because of his small school roots. He's a factor in the Vikings offensive line future because he's a talented football player. I think that Udoh and Hinton are the top contenders on the current roster to be the Vikings left guard in 2021. Simply because I've seen promising potential in preseason games and one late season game, Udoh has the edge.
After years of frustrating offensive line play in Minnesota, I'm optimistic of a better offensive line future. That optimism is because there's finally a plan. There's a proven scheme in place. There are coaches with a track record of successfully coaching the scheme. There are finally talented offensive linemen on the roster that are ideally suited to the scheme. It's a refreshing combination that hopefully leads to a bright future for the team and safer future for it's quarterback and running backs.
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