With the 18th pick in the NFL draft, the Minnesota Vikings will select …
The draft is still two months away, but with the scouting combine starting next week now is as good a time as any to examine the question.
First take: Michael Rand
An offensive tackle. Please.
One of my most used (and most outrageous) stats is this one: Between 2003 and 2018, the Vikings used exactly one of their 18 first-round picks on an offensive lineman.
While you can't blame all that neglect on the team's No. 29-ranked offensive line in 2018 (according to Pro Football Focus), the larger point stands: Minnesota hasn't consistently invested in offensive line talent, and that has consistently hurt the franchise.
Vikings writer Andrew Krammer: I'll take you a step further. Only three teams — the Jets, Eagles and Packers — have drafted fewer offensive linemen in the first three rounds than the Vikings (four) since 2007.
Even with the standout play of rookie cornerback Mike Hughes before his knee injury, the Vikings would've benefited more from taking a prospect like UTEP guard Will Hernandez at 30th overall a year ago. Instead, Hernandez went four picks later to Pat Shurmur's Giants and was named to the Professional Football Writers of America's All-Rookie team.