Vikings O-line ranked 3rd in NFC North, top half of NFL

The Minnesota Vikings’ offensive line can be a sore point of conversation for fans at times, but the unit is still rated in the top half of the NFL going into the new season.

Pro Football Focus ranked the Vikings’ O-line as the 13-best in the NFL on Monday and third-best in the NFC North.

Despite down seasons last year from tackles Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill, the bookends are still considered among the best in the league and highlight the unit. The interior of the line isn’t the same story.

Right guard Ed Ingram showed some slight improvement in his sophomore campaign but still struggled; center Garrett Bradbury regressed slightly and graded out as slightly below-average; and while Dalton Risner provided a boost when he entered the starting lineup in Week 7 and was solid in pass protection, he wasn’t as good in the run game. Blake Brandel is also competing with Ingram and Risner for one of the guard spots but has only played 502 total snaps over the past three seasons.

“While the interior trio of Dalton Risner, Garrett Bradbury and Ed Ingram is average at best, the offensive tackle duo of Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill makes the Vikings' line an above-average unit,” PFF wrote in its rankings.

Last season, PFF graded Darrisaw as the eighth-best tackle and in the league and O’Neill as 24th while placing Bradbury 23rd among centers, and Ingram and Risner 38th and 46th among guards, respectively.

Maybe Ingram can take a step forward this season, Darrisaw and O’Neill stay healthy or Brandel can provide a boost to the interior of the line but a middle-of-the-pack ranking for this unit seems about right at this point.

It’ll be interesting to see how well the group holds up in front of a new quarterback, regardless of whether it’s Sam Darnold or J.J. McCarthy by the end of the season, and the new backfield duo of Aaron Jones and Ty Chandler, and whether the new faces can help mask any of the line’s deficiencies.

Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports