The offensive line for the Vikings has struggled throughout the years.
The lone bright spot has been 2018 second-round pick, tackle Brian O’Neill.
Anthony Treash over at Pro Football Focus ranked the top tackles in the league. O’Neill ranked 30th.
Here’s what Treash wrote about O’Neill:
O’Neill has been average at best in pass protection throughout his three-year career, but he’s made major strides in the run game. He improved his run-blocking grade from 58.3 as a rookie to 70.2 in 2019 to a top-10 mark of 83.7 in 2020. O’Neill is tied for 18th in pressure rate allowed in that span but ranks just 41st in pass-blocking grade, meaning he is still losing far too many reps despite not being credited with an abundance of pressures allowed.
O’Neill has been solid in Minnesota during his three years there, but it’s pretty clear that he needs some help from his teammates if the Vikings are ever going to make a big step forward.
It’s also worth noting that 2021 is the last year of O’Neill’s rookie contract before he becomes an unrestricted free agent.