The 2025 Vikings offensive line is bigger and better.
That's not a news break or even a hot take – rather, it's a post-free agency-and-draft observation that was bolded in separate articles this week from Pro Football Focus' Dalton Wasserman and Andrew Ites.
Minnesota did in fact get bigger – and better, ideally – up front, acquiring former Colts teammates Ryan Kelly and Will Fries in March and selecting Donovan Jackson with the 24th overall pick in the NFL Draft.
The moves led Ites to identifying the Vikings as having one of the most improved offensive lines. As evidence, he cited an impressive five-game stretch for Fries before he suffered a fractured tibia in his third season as a starter and fourth overall, back-to-back strong years for Kelly and Jackson's versatility.
Ites used 2024 PFF grades to support his judgment.
From left-to-right, the Vikings could field a starting five of Christian Darrisaw, Jackson, Kelly, Fries and Brian O'Neill. Before suffering his own season-ending injury, Darrisaw compiled an 81.4 overall grade that ranked 11th out of 81 offensive tackles; Jackson, obviously, doesn't have an NFL score, yet, but was solid in college (four seasons at or above 68.5); Kelly's 67.0 mark in 10 contests was good for 11th out of 40 centers; Fries had an 86.9 grade before he got hurt; and O'Neill logged a 79.3 score, 16th for tackles.