NFL Draft Mock 5.0: Two-round mock, post-free agency
By Ian Cummings
The Vikings just straight up need offensive line help. Kirk Cousins is closest to being worth $30 million a year when the structure doesn’t fail around him, so the Vikings need to make a serious investment in Cousins’ support structure. They already have the weapons. Now it’s time to add blockers.
In need of both tackles and interior linemen, the Vikings have a bit of flexibility at pick No. 18, and they can pick the best offensive lineman available on the NFL Draft board. In this mock, that decision is a toss-up between Cody Ford and Garrett Bradbury, but Ford makes the pick in this scenario.
What was the deciding factor between Ford and Bradbury? Well, the Vikings have Riley Reiff playing left tackle, and 2018 second-round pick Brian O’Neill playing right tackle. Reiff, already no more than an average tackle, turns 31 years old this year, and O’Neill, while having showed promise in flashes last season, has a ways to go in his development.
Drafting Cody Ford would give the Vikings some surefire talent and flexibility, all in one. They could move Reiff out of the picture, shift O’Neill to left tackle, and put Ford at right tackle, and get the most out of him at his natural position.