Craig Peters

The Mock Drafts have been speaking for months and most commonly predict the Vikings to add to the offensive line, defensive line or secondary during the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. In leading up to Round 1 on April 24, 2025, we'll take a look at o-line, d-line, cornerback and safety prospects who have garnered a range of attention from national outlets. The series will include rankings by those national outlets, stats and background information for multiple prospects.

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Vikings status at offensive line

Bookends

The Vikings have one of the best starting tackle combos in the NFL, featuring 2021 first-round pick Christian Darrisaw and 2018 second-rounder Brian O'Neill.

Darrisaw was playing at an elite level to open his fourth pro season when he unfortunately suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 8 at the Los Angeles Rams. The Vikings are encouraged by his recovery process. He turns 26 in early June and isunder contract through the decade.

O'Neill, 29, started all 17 regular-season games in 2024 and carded one of his finest seasons, hitting 100-game and 100-start career milestones before making his second Pro Bowl appearance since 2021. The former Pitt Panther played 1,100 offensive snaps for Minnesota last season.

When Darrisaw was injured, the Vikings acquired veteran Cam Robinson in a trade with Jacksonville. Robinson helped keep the wheels turning as Minnesota put together a nine-game winning streak and finished the regular season with 14 wins, the second most by a Vikings squad all-time.

Robinson, 29, departed for Houston in free agency.

The Vikings also used the opening weeks of free agency to add experienced depth at tackle by signing Justin Skule, who has played in 66 regular-season games and totaled 17 starts for the 49ers and Buccaneers. Skule, 28, could be looked at to fill the veteran swing tackle role in which David Quessenberry helped Minnesota the past two seasons. Quessenberry, 34, became a free agent last month.

Walter Rouse, a 2024 sixth-round pick, is back for his second pro season. Marcellus Johnson spent time with Minnesota's practice squad in 2024, and Leroy Watson signed a future contract with Minnesota in January. Watson appeared in seven games with Cleveland in 2023 and made four starts for Tennessee in 2024.

Additionally, Trevor Reid, who played tackle in college at Louisville and is listed as an offensive lineman, signed a future contract with Minnesota in January.

Interior Offensive Linemen

The Vikings have made significant changes to two starting interior offensive line spots by signing veteran center Ryan Kelly and right guard Will Fries, who teamed together the past four seasons with Indianapolis.

Kelly, who will turn 32 at the end of May, is a four-time Pro Bowler who was selected in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft. He has started all 121 regular-season games he's played, handling numerous QB changes by the Colts along the way. Kelly is set to replace Garrett Bradbury, a 2019 first-round pick who started all 88 regular-season games he played for Minnesota. Bradbury was released and signed with New England.

Fries, who turned 27 on April 4, is coming off a broken leg that cost him all but five games in 2024. The 2021 seventh-round pick signed a multiyear deal after Kelly helped recruit him to Minnesota.

That leaves the left guard spot where Blake Brandel started all 17 games and played all 1,117 of Minnesota's offensive snaps in 2024. It was his first full season as a starter, and he helped Robinson make a quick transition in place of Darrisaw.

The Vikings are returning 2024 seventh-round pick Michael Jurgens and second-year pro Henry Byrd, who first joined Minnesota's practice squad in December 2023. Jurgens contributed exclusively on special teams (12 snaps across three games) as a rookie.

Recently said

Vikings Head Coach Kevin O'Connell discussed the offensive line with media members at the Annual League Meeting.

[Kelly is] a physical presence in the middle. He can run the show with potentially a younger quarterback taking snaps," O'Connell said. "Will Fries brings a level of physicality and just pure size and mass and football intelligence. And those guys have played together, which, we're skipping some of the steps there, when you've got experience at the tackle spots, with Christian Darrisaw coming back as one of the best tackles in football, Brian O'Neill had one of his best seasons, which has been a heck of a career. But to say that he had one of his best seasons is really saying something, because he's been remarkably consistent.

"And then we still have other avenues to add some competition to Blake and Jurgens in there, in the interior, because we feel good about those players, as well as what potentially could be there come the end April," O'Connell added.

Expert rankings

NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah currently has nine offensive linemen in hisTop 50: 10. Will Campbell, 12. Armand Membou, 20. Tyler Booker, 24. Grey Zabel, 31. Kelvin Banks, Jr., 37. Josh Simmons, 39. Josh Conerly, Jr., 41. Donovan Jackson and 48. Marcus Mbow.

ESPN's Mel Kiper, Jr., has three offensive linemen in his overallTop 25: 8. Membou, 9. Campbell and 17. Zabel.

Rankings for offensive linemen by Jeremiah, his NFL Media counterpartBucky Brooks, Kiper, analytics site Pro Football Focus (tacklesandinterior offensive linemen) and The Athletic'sDane Bruglerare listed below.

Prospects

Note: Heights and weights are from each player's profile on NFL.com (linked for each player's name).

Because some players are projected at different positions, we're just going to group the offensive linemen together and make note of those projections that vary.

Although tackle may be seen as less of a priority for the Vikings, particularly early in this year's draft, we are including with the notion that a player could be considered to move inside.

**Will Campbell**

School:LSU| Year:Junior| Ht:6-foot-6| Wt:319 pounds

Experts' Position Rankings

Daniel Jeremiah: T1

Bucky Brooks: T1

Mel Kiper, Jr.: T2

Pro Football Focus: T1

Dane Brugler: T1

Career starts/games played:38/38 (all starts at left tackle; played every snap in 23 of 25 possible SEC games, taking off eight snaps at the end of a 2023 game against Mississippi State and missing the 2022 game against Tennessee because of an illness)

Impressive streak:Campbell put together a streak of 24 games in which he didn't allow a sack before giving up one of two allowed in 2024 during LSU's game against Florida when he played a career-high 93 snaps. He earned Consensus All-America honors last season and was selected to the All-SEC First Team by league coaches in 2023 and 2024. Campbell shared Jacobs Blocking Trophy honors in 2024 with Texas LT Kelvin Banks, Jr.

**Armand Membou**

School:Missouri| Year:Junior| Ht:6-foot-4| Wt:332 pounds

Experts' Position Rankings

Daniel Jeremiah: T2

Bucky Brooks: T2

Mel Kiper, Jr.: T1

Pro Football Focus: T2

Dane Brugler: T2

Career starts/games played:30/36 (all starts at right tackle)

High marks:Membou blocked for an offense that converted 46 of 50 opportunities in the red zone, a 92.0 percentage that ranked 10th nationally and second in the SEC in 2024. Personally, he received a Pro Football Focus grade of 90.4, which ranked third nationally among Power 4 tackles.

**Tyler Booker**

School:Alabama| Year:Junior| Ht:6-foot-5| Wt:321 pounds

Experts' Position Rankings

Daniel Jeremiah: IOL1

Bucky Brooks: IOL1

Mel Kiper, Jr.: G3

Pro Football Focus: G1

Dane Brugler: G1

Career starts/games played:26/37 (25 starts at left guard and 1 at left tackle)

Captain's log:Booker's leadership at Alabama has been credited and compared with Will Anderson, Jr., the No. 3 pick of 2023 by the Texans. He also led the Crimson Tide with 92 knockdown blocks on 778 offensive snaps in 2024, averaging 7.1 per game.

**Grey Zabel**

School:North Dakota State| Year:5th-year Senior| Ht:6-foot-6| Wt:312 pounds

Experts' Position Rankings

Daniel Jeremiah: IOL2

Bucky Brooks: IOL3

Mel Kiper, Jr.: G1

Pro Football Focus: T5

Dane Brugler: C1

Career starts/games played:38/62 (16 at left tackle, 17 at right tackle, 4 at left guard, 1 as an extra offensive lineman)

Family tie:Zabel turned down NIL offers to transfer so he could remain at North Dakota State in 2024 and team with his brother Jett in 2024. Grey garnered First-Team FCS All-American status from The Associated Press in helping the Bison win the national title, despite his lone season at left tackle.

**Kelvin Banks, Jr.**

School:Texas| Year:Junior| Ht:6-foot-5| Wt:315 pounds

Experts' Position Rankings

Daniel Jeremiah: T3

Bucky Brooks: T4

Mel Kiper, Jr.: T4

Pro Football Focus: T4

Dane Brugler: T4

Career starts/games played:42/42 (all 42 starts at left tackle)

Interesting comp:NFL Media's Lance Zierlein compared Banks to Vikings left tackle Christian Darrisaw and Titans 2023 first-round pick Peter Skoronski in his NFL.com bio. Banks won the 2024 Lombardi Award and Outland Trophy (best college lineman). Past Outland Trophy winners include former Vikings draft picks Ron Yary and Bryant McKinnie.

**Josh Simmons**

School:Ohio State (after San Diego State)| Year:R-Junior| Ht:6-foot-5| Wt:317 pounds

Experts' Position Rankings

Daniel Jeremiah: T4

Bucky Brooks: T3

Mel Kiper, Jr.: T3

Pro Football Focus: T3

Dane Brugler: T3

Career starts/games played:32/32 (13 starts at right tackle for San Diego State in 2022; 19 starts at left tackle for Ohio State from 2023-24)

Recovery mode:Simmons suffered a torn patellar tendon in the sixth game of Ohio State's run for the national title. Although he missed the final 10 games, Simmons was still named All-Big Ten Honorable Mention by the league's coaches.

**Josh Conerly, Jr.**

School:Oregon| Year:Junior| Ht:6-foot-5| Wt:311 pounds

Experts' Position Rankings

Daniel Jeremiah: T5

Bucky Brooks: T5

Mel Kiper, Jr.: T5

Pro Football Focus: T6

Dane Brugler: T5

Career starts/games played:28/41 (28 starts at left tackle)

Stingy allowance:According to Pro Football Focus, Conerly allowed just one sack and only nine total pressures on 494 opportunities. He garnered All-Big Ten First-Team honors from coaches and media.

**Donovan Jackson**

School:Ohio State| Year:Senior| Ht:6-foot-4| Wt:315 pounds

Experts' Position Rankings

Daniel Jeremiah: IOL3

Bucky Brooks: IOL2

Mel Kiper, Jr.: G2

Pro Football Focus: T7

Dane Brugler: T6

Career starts/games played:40/55 (31 starts at left guard; 9 starts at left tackle after Simmons' season-ending injury in 2024)

Double recognition:Jackson and teammate Seth McLaughlin became the third and fourth players in school history to earn First-Team All-American honors as a player and First-Team Academic All-American honors, joining Bob White (1958) and Randy Gradishar (1973).

**Marcus Mbow**

School:Purdue| Year:R-Junior| Ht:6-foot-4| Wt:303 pounds

Experts' Position Rankings

Daniel Jeremiah: T6

Bucky Brooks: Not Ranked (among Top 5 tackles or interior linemen)

Mel Kiper, Jr.: G4

Pro Football Focus: T10

Dane Brugler: G3

Career starts/games played:32/36 (14 at right guard in 2022; 18 at right tackle from 2023-24)

1-2-3:Mbow received Honorable Mention All-Big Ten honors from the league's coaches in 2022 when he played right guard, in 2023 at right tackle when he was limited to six games by an injury and in 2024 when he again lined up on the outside.

**Jared Wilson**

School:Georgia| Year:R-Junior| Ht:6-foot-3| Wt:310 pounds

Experts' Position Rankings

Daniel Jeremiah: Not Ranked (in Top 50 overall prospects)

Bucky Brooks: IOL4

Mel Kiper, Jr.: C1

Pro Football Focus: C1

Dane Brugler: C2

Career starts/games played:12/33 (12 starts at center in 2024; missed two games because of a foot injury)

Small sample size:Wilson was limited to starting in one season and had to withdraw from the Reese's Senior Bowl, where Brugler wanted to see if Wilson could have boosted his draft stock. Brugler wrote Wilson "put promising play on his film, and scouts are excited about his movement skills."

**Tate Ratledge**

School:Georgia| Year:Senior| Ht:6-foot-6| Wt:308 pounds

Experts' Position Rankings

Daniel Jeremiah: Not Ranked (in Top 50 overall prospects)

Bucky Brooks: IOL5

Mel Kiper, Jr.: G8

Pro Football Focus: G2

Dane Brugler: G4

Career starts/games played:37/39 (37 starts at right guard; missed all but one game in 2021 because of a foot injury and missed four games because of an ankle sprain that resulted in tightrope surgery in 2024)

Bulldog and dirt-dog:Brooks wrote Ratledge "controls defenders utilizing a 'maul and mash' brand of ball that wears down opponents over time," and Zierlein referenced a "dirt-dog mentality."

**Aireontae Ersery**

School:Minnesota| Year:R-Senior| Ht:6-foot-6| Wt:331 pounds

Experts' Position Rankings

Daniel Jeremiah: Not Ranked (in Top 50 overall prospects)

Bucky Brooks: Not Ranked (among Top 5 tackles or interior linemen)

Mel Kiper, Jr.: T6

Pro Football Focus: T8

Dane Brugler: T7

Career starts/games played:38/40 (38 starts at left tackle from 2022-24)

The climb:Ersery showed continuous improvement, going from All-Big Ten Honorable Mention in 2022 to the Second Team in 2023 and the First Team in 2024 when he garnered Big Ten Rimington-Pace Offensive Lineman of the Year honors.

**Jonah Savaiinaea**

School:Arizona| Year:Junior| Ht:6-foot-4| Wt:324 pounds

Experts' Position Rankings

Daniel Jeremiah: Not Ranked (in Top 50 overall prospects)

Bucky Brooks: Not Ranked (among Top 5 tackles or interior linemen)

Mel Kiper, Jr.: G5

Pro Football Focus: T11

Dane Brugler: G2

Career starts/games played:36/36 (12 at right guard in 2022; 3 at right guard and 10 at right tackle in 2023; 5 at left tackle and 6 at right tackle in 2024)

Projection:Brugler described Savaiinaea as "a physically imposing blocker" who is "alert and powerful with the competitive demeanor to complete his assignment."

"Though he has the length and functional movements to stay at tackle, his square play style and bear-claw hands are better suited inside at guard, where he can develop into an NFL starter," Brugler added.

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