With the 230h pick in the NFL draft, the Minnesota Vikings added to their offensive line by selecting center Michael Jurgens from Wake Forest. Jurgens will likely serve as a depth piece during his rookie season as a Viking given Garrett Bradbury’s hold on the position. However, with Austin Schlottman leaving this offseason, Jurgens has a puncher’s chance at a spot as the primary backup. At 6’4,” Jurgens is the prototypical size for a center and, like Bradbury, he moves well in space and can be used as a pull blocker.
According to ESPN Pre Draft analysis, “Jurgens started 34 games at center and is quicker than fast with average size. He is a positional run blocker and does a good job of picking up line stunts in pass protection.”
Lance Zerlien of NFL.com had this to say:
Solid three-year starter as a center/guard but will need to stick at center as his primary position. Jurgens uses accurate hands and consistent footwork to fit blocks with good centering, but he doesn’t have the core strength needed to displace opponents or keep from being pulled and shoved off balance by a strong nose tackle. He’s fairly average as an athlete but he does see the field well in pass protection and steadies the gaps around him. Jurgens’ lack of functional power and contact balance could hurt his chances as a late-round pick or priority free agent.
Jurgens gives the Vikings relief in case Bradbury gets injured again, and he also provides them with something that is very similar stylistically to what they have with Bradbury.
Check out his highlight reel here.
With their second pick of the round, the Vikings added a defensive tackle to their ranks with the selection of Levi Drake Rodriguez out of Texas A&M Commerce. Rodriguez proved to be a disruptive force from the interior as both a pass rusher and a run defender.
ESPN pre-draft analysis concluded that “Rodriguez is a relentless pass rusher who had 5.5 sacks and forced a fumble in 2023. He is quick enough to develop into a disruptive run-defender at the NFL level.”
Rodriguez is undersized at the NFL level, being just 6’1” and just shy of 270 lbs., but he will likely add size while being on an NFL strength and weight plan.
According to NFL.com:
Rodriguez plays with a big heart and a steady motor, but he lacks NFL size and skill inside. He gives good effort on each snap but spends too much time staying attached to blockers instead of finding quick routes around them. He has decent length for his size, but he doesn’t do enough damage with his hands and lacks the short-area foot quickness teams will look for from a smaller player. Rodriguez has been a productive player, but the step up in competition feels like it could be too big for him.
His podcast appearance below features some excellent highlight clips.
