The phrase “scheme fit” gets tossed around a lot during draft season, and with good reason. Some players are perfectly tailored for some systems, but will falter in others. The Vikings have a large need on the interior offensive line, but beyond that, they’re fairly even across the roster. So with the single position they can’t afford to miss on, what are they actually looking for? Do they want big, beefy guards, or quick pullers?

Arif Hasan did great work during the combine to draw thresholds the Vikings use for athleticism. They’ve rarely departed from these thresholds. Even Laquon Treadwell, whose 4.6 second 40 was famously an indicator of his poor to-date performance, passed their test in the “flying 20”, or the final 20 yards of the 40-yard dash when the player has reached top speed. Using these, we can draw certain conclusions about whether or not he Vikings have a “type” and which prospects that could point towards.

There’s a lot of talk about the Vikings running a zone scheme, and how that’s different than things were in the Adrian Peterson and Jeff Davidson days. But what does that mean? To grossly oversimplify things, a man/power blocking scheme is one where offensive linemen are assigned a person to drive off the ball. See the guy, hit the guy, move the guy. A zone scheme is more about getting to a spot, and making sure you seal off that spot. It means linemen have to move a little quicker, and make delicate reach blocks. It means a lot of pulling, running, and advancing to the second level to create seams for Dalvin Cook.

The Vikings’ combine thresholds support this strategy. Their linemen must have (roughly) above-average scores in the short shuttle and three-cone drill, as well as an above-average broad jump, a measure of driving power. But this means the Vikings’ linemen need agility as well as adequate OL strength. This disqualifies someone like Oklahoma’s Orlando Brown, whose measured athleticism is a huge red flag.

Will Hernandez of UTEP is a name commonly mocked to the Vikings, and he passes all the tests. While he is surprisingly nimble for his massive 340-pound frame, he has an eagerness and aggressive tendency better suited for a man-power scheme. He’s well-equipped enough to be a starter in a zone scheme like the Vikings’, but he probably has a brighter future on another team that won’t let his power go to waste as much.

UCLA’s Kolton Miller crushes the athletic standards, but as a tackle, has a lot of technique polish to go through. The Vikings aren’t currently in a comfortable position to wait on offensive line help to develop, so I’d be surprised if he ended up in purple. Here’s more on him from Brandon Thorne at NDT Scouting.

There are some no-brainers. Quenton Nelson of Notre Dame is clearly capable of thriving in any scheme, but is hardly worth sparing a thought considering how unlikely he is to be available. Georgia’s Isaiah Wynn also checks the agility and character boxes the Vikings like, but would be a surprising fall to 30.

Billy Price gets linked often to the Vikings because of his familiarity with center Pat Elflein, and is a quality prospect. Unfortunately, his injury prevents us from seeing too much of his measured athleticism, but his size and tape do project well to a zone scheme. Also, his medicals shouldn’t worry you too much if the Vikings to take him – the longest estimates for his return put him around the start of the season, and no long-term impact.

Connor Williams occupies an odd space between tackle, the position he played at Texas, and guard, where his measurements project him best. He does cross the thresholds the Vikings have, if just barely, but projects to be a higher pick than 30.

Two projected centers also hold interesting prospect for the Vikings. Frank Ragnow, an Arkansas alum and Chanhassen native, doesn’t cross the agility thresholds and projects better to a power scheme a la Hernandez. He also had a season-ending injury in 2017 which could turn off the snakebitten Vikings. James Daniels from Iowa falls on the other end of the spectrum, with strength and conditioning questions that didn’t materialize, but a measurable agility that the Vikings could salivate over.

Brian O’Neill from Pittsburgh is another polarizing prospect with unbelievable athleticism, but a litany of fatal technique flaws. The Vikings haven’t taken a lineman like that since fellow Panther T.J. Clemmings, and his athleticism may be valued more highly by a team picking ahead of them.

Mason Cole of Michigan is regarded as a mid-round player, but if the Vikings choose non-linemen in the higher rounds, he passes the athleticism and agility tests. He’s a lower prospect due to some hand placement flaws, but for 4th or 5th round standards it’s acceptable.

Scott Quessenbery checks a lot of Viking boxes with not only athleticism, but also position versatility. He lacks the power/run mauling that many NFL GMs look for, but is a consistent pass protector with the movement skills the Vikings need. He’s played all three interior line positions at UCLA, which the Vikings have historically valued.

At Virginia Tech, Wyatt Teller was incredibly productive, but he doesn’t pass the short shuttle test and shows a bit too aggressively at times, leading to lost snaps. His career in the NFL could be strong with the right team, but the Vikings’ typical habits don’t point to him having a future in purple.

There are plenty of other OL in this class that the Vikings will have ample opportunity to draft such as Braden Smith, an angry power type, Tyrell Crosby, a large OT body with experience in a zone scheme, and Brandon Parker, a raw but fixable mountain of a tackle from North Carolina AT.

As for my personal tastes and wishes, I’d hope that the Vikings come away with two of the above listed players, one early and a late stab. In a perfect world, it’d be someone like Isaiah Wynn at pick 30 (or Price at 62 for value) and Scott Quessenbery in the heart of day 3. But there are a lot of different names for the Vikings to pick from. Considering the historic valuation of interior linemen in the draft, the Vikings will have plenty of quality opportunities this weekend.

Thanks for reading!