As a 240-pound tight end, Brian O’Neill entered Pittsburgh with hopes of being a great pass-catcher.
He exited a promising tackle prospect weighing 300 pounds.
The Minnesota Vikings second-round pick was forced to radically change his body to fill a pressing need on the Panthers’ offensive line. After an injury in 2015 he was approached by head coach Pat Narduzzi.
“He’s like, ‘Hey, look, we’re scrambling right now, and we think [switching to tackle] will be a great move,'” O’Neill said on a conference call. “And he didn’t force me to do it. He kind of asked me my opinion, and we had a long conversation about it, and he said, ‘I’ll give you a week or two to decide. There’s no pressure. But talk to you parents and see what you think.’”
That was that. Using a steady diet of peanut butter sandwiches and a large dose of resolve, O’Neill packed on around 30 pounds in the ensuing months, going from approximately 255 to 285.
“Everyone asks how hard is it to put on that much weight in that short of a time, but to be honest, I had such a good staff,” said O’Neill. “There was nothing left to decide really. And then my offensive line coach at the time, John Peterson, took care of all the technical stuff, so for me it was more about a mentality that if you’re going to make a change like that, you’re going to jump two feet in and give 100 percent.”
The Vikings wouldn’t reveal whether they’d try O’Neill at guard, but the 22 year old said he’d be willing.
Minnesota still must decide whether it’s going to permanently move Mike Remmers inside, where he played in the postseason, or keep him at right tackle, where he played during the regular season.
In terms of his experience, O’Neill is seasoned as a tackle, starting 37 consecutive games there at Pittsburgh. As a former high school wide receiver — and basketball star — O’Neill possesses plenty of athleticism that he believes will help him negate speedy edge rushers. He ran a 4.80 40-yard dash at the Combine, the best among linemen, though Director of Scouting Jamaal Stephenson said he isn’t all that interested in a lineman’s 40 time.
Instead, he’s impressed with O’Neill’s short-burst quickness.
“You watch this guy get out and pull,” Stephenson told reporters, “it’s unbelievable how fast he moves and the ability to change directions.
“We’re a movement-based offense, we’re trying to get to the second level, and this guy fits that bill. He’s athletic, he’s long, he’s big, he has all the traits.”
The last Pittsburgh lineman the Vikings selected was also a former basketball star who picked up offensive line late in his development. His name? T.J. Clemmings. The former fourth-round pick flamed out after two poor seasons.
O’Neill, however, is a different player with a different skillset who’s already had to undergo a major shift in his professional paradigm.
“I think at offensive tackle, if you don’t do your job, the play’s busted,” said O’Neill, “where at tight end, you could run a route and not necessarily be open and you get the ball out somewhere else. So the technical things that require you to do your job and do your job every play and do it well at offensive tackle is definitely the biggest difference.”
