Rick Spielman’s O-Line Draft History is Pain in List-Form
The Minnesota Vikings need to pull two offensive linemen out of next week’s NFL Draft if they want to call it a success. That’s difficult to do for any team and any general manager, given how tough it is to hit on young talent in this league. But for the Rick Spielman, history tells us that we’re asking him to do the impossible.
Here's the complete list of offensive linemen that Rick Spielman has taken for the Vikings in his 14 NFL Drafts.
— PowerTrip $BETZ ???????? (@PowerTripBets) April 24, 2021
The lone Pro Bowl among them remains Matt Kalil in his rookie season. pic.twitter.com/n2zHFzL0Gw
That’s 23 drafted offensive linemen and VERY little success for our favorite NFL General Manager. As the tweet from @PowerTripBets points out, just one pro bowl has graced this list and Matt Kalil’s success only lasted for one or two seasons. That leaves Brian O’Neill and John Sullivan as the only two OL draft picks Spielman has hit out of the park.
The bright side
Most of them… are complete failures. But, this list gives us some hope too. The o-linemen drafted by the Vikings next week, at least those tasked with immediate playing time, will be taken in the first two days (rounds 1-3). Most of the guys listed above were taken in the 4th round or later. That says something about Rick’s OL drafting philosophy but not much about the success of this upcoming draft.
Rick has spent day one currency only twice in his Minnesota Vikings tenure on the OL. We’ve already discussed Kalil but nobody foresaw his downfall. Garrett Bradbury is still TBD, though early returns have been disappointing. Day two picks include Phil Loadholt, Pat Elflein, Brian O’Neill and Ezra Cleveland. Again, names that aren’t heading to the Ring of Honor anytime soon but contributing players, at the least.
Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan
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