The Minnesota Vikings fulfilled their need for an offensive lineman by staying at Pick 62 and selecting tackle Brian O’Neill out of Pittsburgh.
From our Zone Coverage player profile:
One of the more intriguing offensive line prospects in the draft, Brian O’Neill stands just a shade under 6-foot-7 and a touch under 300 pounds.
As a high school receiver, O’Neill planned to play tight end at Pittsburgh, where he showed up at 240 pounds. He was then converted to tackle thanks to a diet of whole milk and PB&J sandwiches.
O’Neill wound up making 37 starts at both left and right tackle and became an All-ACC selection. His pro prospects took a leap when he ran a 4.80 at the combine.
As an ex-offensive player, O’Neill still has some moves when he gets the ball in his hands. He was given two carries during the 2016 season and scored touchdowns both times.
The addition of O’Neill likely means the Vikings are content moving Mike Remmers to guard, where he played in last year’s playoffs.
The last time the Vikings took an offensive lineman from Pittsburgh, it didn’t go well, as T.J. Clemmings floundered for the better part of two seasons in 2015-16, but O’Neill has a very different, more athletic skill-set than Clemmings.
He was ranked 72nd on Arif Hasan’s consensus board.
Stay tuned for further analysis of the Brian O’Neill pick.
