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On Friday in Indianapolis, the offensive linemen got to take the field and show their stuff at the 2019 NFL Scouting Combine. Since we know that the Minnesota Vikings are most certainly in the market for offensive line help, it’s time to take a look at a few guys that helped themselves on Friday morning and afternoon.
Garrett Bradbury, C, North Carolina State
I’ve mentioned this in at least one of the mock drafts I’ve done this offseason, but if the Vikings are truly going to embrace the zone blocking scheme that Gary Kubiak and Rick Dennison are bringing over from Denver, Bradbury would be an outstanding piece to build around. He was already regarded as the best zone blocking center in this class, and he did nothing to hurt himself on Friday. He busted out a 4.92-second 40-yard dash, put up 34 reps on the bench press, and was incredibly impressive in the 3-cone agility drill. Not only is Bradbury in the first round conversation now, but there’s an outside chance that he might not make it to #18.
The question for the Vikings is whether or not Bradbury could potentially play guard or if selecting him would require shifting Pat Elflein to a guard spot. Either way, Bradbury looks to be someone that would clearly be in play for the Vikings.
Andre Dillard, OT, Washington State
Dillard appears to be something that might be a bit of a rarity in this year’s draft class. . .an offensive lineman that could immediately start at left tackle without having to spend time on the interior or on the right side first. Much like Brian O’Neill, Dillard is regarded as an outstanding athlete, and he affirmed that on Friday. He posted the fourth-fastest 40-yard dash, the best broad jump and short shuttle time, and his 3-cone time was second only to Bradbury.
For the Vikings to draft Dillard, they would almost certainly have to shift Riley Reiff to the interior somewhere, and we’ve discussed whether or not that would be a good idea. On the other hand, Dillard and O’Neill could be a standout pair of bookends for a long time, which is a nice luxury to have.
Chris Lindstrom, G, Boston College
We’ve been pretty high on Lindstrom already, and he certainly didn’t hurt his stock on Friday. As a matter of fact, he may have actually pushed himself into the conversation for teams at the bottom of the first round (or a team that might want to trade back into the first). Highlighted by a 4.92-second 40-yard dash, he had an outstanding day on Friday.
Erik McCoy, C, Texas A&M
McCoy is not as widely heralded as Bradbury, but after today’s workouts, it doesn’t appear that he’s too far behind him athletically. Like Bradbury, McCoy has the speed and agility to be a perfect fit in a zone type scheme like the Vikings want to run. We have the same question with McCoy, though. . .can he, potentially, play guard, or is he a center-only prospect? As of now, McCoy might be a second-round prospect, but there’s plenty of time for that to change.
Iosua Opeta, G, Weber State
Who? One of the best linemen in FCS last season, that’s who. Opeta topped all of the linemen in this year’s draft class with 39 reps on the bench press, and coupled that with very good performances in the agility drills as well. While he’s certainly not in play for the Vikings at #18, he certainly seems to be someone that the purple could look at in the later rounds.
Who among the offensive linemen impressed you at today’s Scouting Combine?