The Minnesota Vikings were able to get over their one-year playoff drought in 2019 by going 10-6 and impressing all season long, thanks in part to a very successful all-around defense and dynamic players on offense. The biggest question after blowing their chances to make the playoffs in 2019 for the Vikings was the offensive line, a group that failed to help out quarterback Kirk Cousins or running back Dalvin Cook last season.
Over the offseason, the Vikings landed the 18th pick in the 2019 NFL Draft and used that pick to bolster the offensive line, selecting center Garrett Bradbury, a familiar name to the Wolfpack faithful. On paper, this selection was one of the best in the first round, with NFL.com giving the Vikings draft an A grade.
“Bradbury is athletic and tough, considered one of the best center prospects to be picked in some time,” wrote draft analyst Chad Reuter for NFL.com. “Minnesota’s offensive line was in dire need of improvement so this selection will make quarterback Kirk Cousins and running back Dalvin Cook extremely happy.”
The Vikings ended up triple-dipping at the O-line positions, going on to select guard Dru Samia from Oklahoma and tackle Oli Udoh from Elon with the 114th and 193rd picks, respectively. Neither of these players played many meaningful snaps, with Udoh failing to make any game appearances, and Samia playing in two games on the year in weeks 5 and 17.
While this season was a success for the Vikings, the team did not see as much as it could have from Bradbury, who failed to make much of an impact his rookie season. According to Pro Football Focus, Bradbury finished with a poor 57.9 overall grade on the year, with a 61.7 run-blocking grade and an abysmal 38.7 pass-blocking grade. Bradbury’s run-blocking grade looks much less than mediocre when taking into account the fact that he was blocking for one of the best backs in 2019, Cook.
Bradbury did not fall below 98% of offensive snaps played on the season except for in Week 16, when the Vikings rested their starters to prepare for the playoffs, missing only a handful of snaps all season.
In 989 snaps played in the season, Bradbury racked up eight penalties, which ranked tied for fourth among all centers, and allowed four sacks, which ranked tied for second among all centers in the league.
According to Pro Football Focus, Bradbury’s overall grade ranked 30 out of 38 qualifying centers in the league, with his pass-blocking grade ranking dead last among those same centers.
Rookie seasons for offensive linemen can be difficult, as playing in the trenches on either side of the ball is a strenuous task in the NFL, but Bradbury had one of the best running backs to block for, so his difficulty adjusting is perplexing. The Vikings are not going to give up on Bradbury so soon, but the NFL is a year-to-year league, so if he does not show any signs of improvement next season, the team will look to move on rather quickly.
After Kevin Stefanski left to become the next head coach of the Cleveland Browns, Gary Kubiak was hired in his place to be the next offensive coordinator of the Vikings. The coaching change could be a positive change for the former Pack member, with an experienced coordinator calling the plays.
Thankfully for the Vikings, Bradbury still has a strong resume. He is athletic and has the ability to switch to either guard position in a pinch, and even if his on-the-field product is not shining in a given week, he is a valuable locker room presence. Considering the fact that Bradbury came from an impressive NC State offense with many parallels to the Vikings’ current offense, there is plenty of reason to believe that Bradbury will have a strong comeback season in a full offseason in the Vikings program.
