The Minnesota Vikings surprised almost everyone during the third round of the NFL Draft when they selected Caleb Tiernan. While most draftniks assumed they would look to take an offensive lineman somewhat early, the expectation was that they would be in the market for a center after Ryan Kelly retired.
Fans were a little confused when the Vikings ended up taking the left tackle from Northwestern instead of a center. Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill look like they will potentially be bookend tackles for the foreseeable future, and the team added veteran swing tackle Ryan Van Demark in the offseason to fill in when one of the two goes down.
The initial thought some fans had when they saw this pick was related to the knee injury Darrisaw suffered two seasons ago. He missed multiple games this season and left others early when the knee flared up. Naturally, people are wondering about the health of their franchise left tackle and if the concerns were more serious than the coaching staff had let on.
The other thought was related to O’Neill and whether the team would look to move on from him in the near future for cap relief. However, most of these thoughts were dispelled just a few minutes later when the team traded Jonathan Greenard, largely for the same reasons.
Minnesota appears to be keeping Darrisaw and O’Neill in the fold next year, and Tiernan will likely be behind Van Denmark on the depth chart. So, people naturally wondered about Tiernan’s long-term role.
Well, his future likely isn’t at tackle in the NFL, but at guard.
The Vikings recently invested a first-round pick in left guard Donovan Jackson after giving a hefty five-year contract to Will Fries. Still, the offensive line had plenty of issues. Though some of these were a result of Kelly’s concussions, Fries performed far below expectations. With an opt-out in his contract after this season, the Vikings could look at Tiernan as a long-term replacement at guard while they shed payroll.
While Tiernan is 6’8”, 323 lbs., he has a wingspan in the first percentile, at just 79”. Overall, Tirenan has abnormally small hands and arms, ranking in the ninth percentile.
These measurements aren’t the be-all, end all for tackles in the NFL. Still, they are an important measurement. Think back to another short-armed tackle in Will Campbell. In the Super Bowl, the Seattle Seahawks’ longer-armed edge rushers gave Campbell issues all game long.
It’s always a risk moving a five-year starter at tackle to guard, but there is reason to believe that Tiernan will be successful at the new position. As previously noted, Tiernan already has the size to succeed as a guard in the NFL. He’s among the larger members of the Vikings line, weighing roughly the same as Donovan Jackson while being eight inches taller.
Tiernan’s ability in pass protection can also help the transition. He was an incredible pass protector in college. That was by far his best skill as he was adept at stopping both pass rushers that relied on finesse and the bull rush. Against bull rushes, Tiernan absorbs pressure through his core, anchoring and preventing himself from collapsing the pocket, a skill that will come in handy against bigger defensive tackles.
He also has very good hands in pass protection. Tiernan times his punches at the point of contact and doesn’t let opposing pass rushers get the drop on him and move him early.
Tierman’s ability to read twists and stunts is really exceptional in pass protection. Recently, we have seen teams look to isolate a one-on-one matchup with the weaker links of the offensive lines. That won’t work against Tiernan, who has proven he’s more than capable of reading these defensive line games and picking up the late blitzers with ease.
Tiernan’s athletic ability is intriguing. He tested in the 99th percentile on the vertical jump and demonstrated an incredible ability to navigate screens. That’s what the Vikings have wanted from guards. For example, Donovan Jackson also played left tackle in college and posted impressive numbers in athletic testing.
Though his pass protection is undoubtedly a positive and will translate, Tiernan needs to improve his run blocking. He sometimes plays with a high pad level and stalls out on reps instead of winning them outright.
Teams are often concerned about moving a career tackle to guard. However, in Tiernan’s case, the move would likely help address most of his issues with lateral quickness and wingspan, while providing a player with both size and youth.
The Vikings won’t outright say that they are moving him to guard yet. Still, I would expect him to take a good amount of reps at guard to test out his ability at the position in OTAs and mini-camp.
Tiernan likely won’t get snaps at guard to start the season while he takes a year or so to learn the position. Still, he could become Minnesota’s long-term right guard and a valuable insurance policy to opt out of the Fries contract.
