2025 NFL Free Agency and Draft: IOL

9. WYATT MILUM, West Virginia (6-6 ½, 313, 5.30, 3-4): Made 43 starts at both tackles in a four-year career. “Second-round pick,” one scout said. “Great kid. Needs a little more anchor strength. Good enough feet. Not a left tackle; definitely a right tackle. He’s better than the tackle (Colton McKivitz) that came out of there a couple years ago (fifth round, 2020) and he’s better than the center (Zach Frazier, second round, 2024) that went to Pittsburgh.” Shortest arms (32 1/8) of the top nine guards. Hands were 10 ¼. “He’s a solid Day 3 pick,” a second scout said. “There will be some questions about his arm length. Some people think he’ll be a better guard than tackle.” From Kenova, W.Va. “He’s nasty, tough, physical,” said a third scout. “Eat-shit-and-die kind of guy. Bad athlete. Rickety, on the ground all the time. It didn’t help that he was playing left tackle. He’s barely draftable. He’ll probably make it somewhere but he’s not very good.”

Jackson was a 5-star recruit and the #1 OG coming out of high school. NFL OG prototype. Big time core power. Can be successful in any scheme the team runs. Ohio State and Michigan O-linemen you can hardly go wrong.

p.s. Donovan has been a riser recently....he's right there neck and neck with Booker. I'd take either in a nanosecond at #24. Four 1st round draft picks and Fries starting. And a power back in Mason? A rested Aaron Jones? Putting Rondale Moore all over the place in motion? And my boy at QB? Jim Harbaugh may even shed a tear.....

Good f-ing luck NFCN.

"The way I see it, a perfect scenario for the #Vikings."

– @Thorku on the #Vikings trading back and still landing Grey Zabel at pick 30. #SKOL pic.twitter.com/wyfY66SsZl

— SKOR North - Minnesota Sports (@SKORNorth) April 10, 2025

A strong OL is quite the deodorant for any shortcomings.

1. GREY ZABEL, North Dakota State (6-6, 312, no 40, 1-2): Played on FCS national championship teams in 2021 and 2024. “He’s what you would expect from North Dakota State: tough, physical, friggin’ blue-collar brawler,” said one scout. “Very smart. Instincts and reactions are very good. Played pretty good on the move. Good bender. At the Senior Bowl, the practices were better than the game. Real-deal interview. Loved the interview. He’s probably a great fourth-round pick. If somebody buys too much into the dude he might end up in the third.” Started 16 games at left tackle in 2024 after starting at every other position besides center in a five-year career. NFL scouts from each team voted him the overall practice player of the week in Mobile. Impressed personnel people by how effective he was playing some center during the week. “He’ll probably be a starting guard or center but he could get you out of a game at tackle,” said a second scout. “There’s real value there. The Senior Bowl has had a good run of small-school offensive linemen. Terron Armstead, the Hobart kid (Ali Marpet), (Cody) Mauch, (Quinn) Meinerz. But why he’s going (high) is because people are trying to make him a center.” Mauch played alongside Zabel from 2020-’22 before being drafted by the Buccaneers in 2023 (second round). “I gave Mauch the same grade,” said a third scout. “I think Cody was better in the run game because he could get out in space and run a little faster. I liked Grey a little more in the pass. The way they finish — Grey models his game after Cody’s. My only hangup with Grey is the length.” Arms were just 32. Hands were 9 ½. “He’s not exactly the measurements you want,” a fourth scout said. “Little bit short-armed. This kid can play center but I think he’s better off at guard. Tough, powerful, can move his feet, OK in space, can mirror and adjust. The last two guys out of there the last three years (wide receiver Christian Watson, Mauch) are starters. He’ll play a long time.” His vertical jump (36 ½) led the offensive linemen at the combine. Bench press of 26. “He’s all right,” said a fifth scout. “Does a little bit of everything OK. Nothing too exciting. He’s not a first-rounder at all. He’ll start.” Three-sport athlete from Pierre, S.D., where as a left-handed pitcher he threw in the 90’s on the radar gun.

I probably wouldn't go OL, but when I think about this...

Darrisaw—Booker, Zabel or Jackson—Kelly—Fries—O'Neill

...it makes me wriggle.

MaroonBells wrote:
I probably wouldn't go OL, but when I think about this...

Darrisaw—Booker, Zabel or Jackson—Kelly—Fries—O'Neill

...it makes me wriggle.

You want the chocolate mousse but you have to eat your broccoli first. It’s good for ya. In this scenario you can land Henderson or any home run hitter you want.

Jonah Savaiinaea is a OT prospect in the 2025 draft class. He scored a 9.19 RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 123 out of 1508 OT from 1987 to 2025.https://t.co/VgmB8fr7p9 pic.twitter.com/FmvUhMJ9Sl

— RAS.football (@MathBomb) April 10, 2025

Big men. Big talent. 💪

It’s time for a #BaldysBreakdowns of @BaldyNFL’s favorite OL prospects 🚨 pic.twitter.com/xYN0y0S4EE

— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) April 10, 2025

StickierBuns wrote:

I've been wriggling for awhile thinking about this scenario. Once you really give it some thought, you see what it could mean for the offense and JJM. Four 1st round picks and Fries on that O-line.

O'Neill was a 2nd round pick, but great point altogether.

Booker has ideal size, awareness and consistency. In the pass game, he sets with a wide/firm base and easily absorbs power rushers. He keeps his hands tight and when he locks on, he wins. When he’s uncovered, he looks for work and delivers some nasty shots to unsuspecting opponents. In the run game, he can move defenders lined up over his nose and he is excellent on combo blocks up to the second level. He takes great angles, and he gathers and walls off linebackers. Sources at Alabama compare his leadership qualities to those of former Tide star Will Anderson Jr. Booker alleviated some concerns about his athleticism by posting a much better 10-yard split at his pro day than he did at the NFL Scouting Combine. He’s still a perfect fit for a gap-scheme team with a power running game.

Zabel is a versatile offensive lineman with excellent toughness and awareness. He lined up at left tackle in 2024, but he has played four O-line positions during his collegiate career. I believe he’s best suited to play guard at the next level. In pass pro, he has quick feet, stays square and catches/absorbs rushers. His lack of length shows up on the perimeter. He allows defenders to capture his chest, but he still possesses the core strength and balance to stall their push. He shows the savvy to snatch rushers when they get overextended. I love his ability to fit up and drive defenders in the run game. He has a great feel on combo blocks, and he always looks to finish. He has a nasty playing style, but he doesn’t get caught off-balance. He's aced every test this offseason, from the Senior Bowl to the combine. Overall, I see Zabel as a Day 1 starter at guard.

MaroonBells wrote:

I probably wouldn't go OL, but when I think about this...

Darrisaw—Booker, Zabel or Jackson—Kelly—Fries—O'Neill

...it makes me wriggle.

I've been wriggling for awhile thinking about this scenario. Once you really give it some thought, you see what it could mean for the offense and JJM. Four 1st round picks and Fries on that O-line.

Now for the brakes...it's still a feckin' guard. It might fill our OCD need for a sense of "completion" of the OL, but it's still a feckin' guard. Super talks about not wanting to waste a pick on a safety. I don't agree with that, but that's kinda how I feel about IOL. At the end of the day, how much will it really impact the game? Not very. There's not even a guarantee that any of these guys will beat out Brandel. 

These are all the guards taken in the 1st round the last three drafts: 

Kenyon Green (15) - Total bust, traded for peanuts. 
Zion Johnson (17) - Disappointment, gave up 7 sacks last year, said to be on trade block
Peter Skoronski (11) - Mixed
Graham Barton (26) - Mixed

Yes, you can do that for every position, but I think we can get bigger bang for our buck with CB, S, DT or even RB.

All true. 

But if you hit and build an OL that rivals Philly, the impact ripples through the entire team, how you call a game, how the D calls a game. 

I can scheme out, to an extent, eliminating Jefferson, Moss, Sanders, etc. Can you scheme out an elite OL?

JustInTime wrote:
All true. 

But if you hit and build an OL that rivals Philly, the impact ripples through the entire team, how you call a game, how the D calls a game. 

I can scheme out, to an extent, eliminating Jefferson, Moss, Sanders, etc. Can you scheme out an elite OL?

I think your point about scheming out an elite OL is a good one, but keep in mind that Philly line had only one 1st rounder. And I tend to think the improvements we've already made by adding Kelly and Fries will improve the OL dramatically. If OL is the pick, I still have a cat and a Samsung. Part of me would be pretty excited. But there are probably at least 2 or 3 positions I'd take ahead of it.

Brandel was the best of the three interior positions we needed to improve upon, but he did not play well. If we are using PFF he was far below average in every catagory. People say "well he was better next to Darrisaw" but was that because Darrisaw was able to mask some if his deficiencies that came to light when Darrisaw went down injured? Offensive line is such an important unit to team success and guard has become a premium position as evidenced by what we saw being paid out in free agency. We could realistically draft a starter this year that comes in and upgrades the Brandel spot and turn this unit around completely. Booker is a beast and a close friend of McCarthy. One of those "I'd die before I let someone hit my quarterback" kind of players and relationships. If we took Zabel he is probably our opening day left tackle and somebody who slides in at left guard when Darrisaw returns or it gives you the option of swinging Brandel out to tackle. Donovan Jackson does the same. I don't think we are done tinkering with the offensive line yet

The quality of the IOL in this draft is going to drop off after the 2nd round. If you want to draft an IOL to groom as an eventual starter, draft him no later than round 2. After that the quality of the IOLs are going to be on par with Jurgens or Rouse.

Knucklehead wrote:
The quality of the IOL in this draft is going to drop off after the 2nd round. If you want to draft an IOL to groom as an eventual starter, draft him no later than round 2. After that the quality of the IOLs are going to be on par with Jurgens or Rouse.

I agree, and I think the same is true for DL. It's a much deeper DL class, but there's little point in drafting day three OLs or DLs when we just added Jalen Redmond, Drake-Rodriguez, Rouse and Jurgens last year. I think our late rounds will positions not many are talking about like TE, ILB and RB if we don't take on early.

Canthony wrote:


O'Neill was a 2nd round pick, but great point altogether.

Thanks for that correction, you are correct. 62nd player in round 2.

StickierBuns wrote:

I know some want RB, I think Minnesota is looking toward next year's Draft for a RB. I bet they don't even Draft one this year. I'd rather go vet FA spend next year also for a ILB, need them to be smart in Flo's D more than a super athlete. Less mistakes. I could also see Minnesota going Edge D-line somewhere after round 1....but like round 3. 

The team isn't hurting for skill players. But let's fortify both lines of scrimmage and work from there. Like the land of plenty deal. Hell Detroit might grab an O lineman or D lineman and Hutch is back for them. We have to keep up on the lines. FA has been A+ but its not sustainable next year or probably the year after, time to hit on the Draft.

How much? :-) Jones signed a two-year deal, but his cap hit in year two is $16M and the Vikings won't pay that to a RB of his age. So it's a one-year deal. Vikings may not feel RB is a day one or two need now, but I don't think they'll go into this pivotal season with the injury prone Aaron Jones as the only lead back on the team. Mason is awesome but much more of a RB2, and I think it would be a surprise if Chandler's back at all since he can't be trusted in pass pro. 

I actually think we add two backs. One in the draft and one after. If I'm KOC I want my RBOTF this year so he can take over for Jones next year, giving him a Jahmyr Gibbs-like on ramp.

StickierBuns wrote:

Why would the Vikings add two backs? Is Ham going somewhere? Jones, Mason and Ham is how the team is going to roll final roster. That's why 2026 is the year for the RB. Rookie RBs succeed every year and in every round. But JMO, I won't be upset with any scenario really thanks to KAM's free agency. The Vikings resigned Jones and brought in Mason, why again do you think its a need for 2025? Because its a deep field? I'm asking, not accusing.

Because of what I said above. Teams typically keep 4 backs. One on the practice squad. Vikings have two. One of whom is injury prone and 30.