Vikings' Donovan Jackson Could Answer Decade-Long Question After Week 1 Performance

The Minnesota Vikings are still coming down from the high on Monday night when quarterback J.J. McCarthy engineered a fourth-quarter comeback in a 27-24 win over the Chicago Bears. The season-opening victory had many things to make Vikings fans optimistic about this season, but one of the biggest was the performance of the offensive line.

With the exception of Justin Skule, who was filling in for the injured Christian Darrisaw, the offensive line performed well, allowing McCarthy to be pressured on just 24% of his dropbacks and establishing a physical presence that helped Jordan Mason and the running game salt the game away in the fourth quarter.

But for as much hype as there was surrounding the unit going into the season, rookie blocker Donovan Jackson flew under the radar and may have answered the Vikings’ decade-long question of “Can he play guard?”

Donovan Jackson’s Debut Inspires Optimism for Vikings Offensive Line

It’s not a secret that the Vikings have had a drought at the guard position. Things have gotten so bad that the question “Can he play guard?” has turned into a meme. Steve Hutchinson was the last Vikings guard to make a Pro Bowl back in 2009, and Minnesota has tried everything from late-round projects to high-priced free agents to solve the problem.

After one week, Jackson may be the answer. Pro Football Focus had a positive review of Jackson’s play against the Bears, as his 74.3 overall grade was the eighth-highest among 66 qualifying guards in Week 1. Jackson was also stellar in pass protection as his 88.1 pass-blocking grade was the highest among guards, along with Mekhi Becton of the Los Angeles Chargers, and he didn’t allow a single pressure on 25 pass-blocking snaps.

Of course, this is what the Vikings envisioned when they selected Jackson with the 24th overall pick in April’s draft. A star at Ohio State, Jackson slid over to left tackle during his final year with the Buckeyes after fellow first-round pick Josh Simmons ruptured his patellar tendon last October. Jackson performed well enough to be listed as the No. 6 offensive tackle in this year’s class by The Athletic’s Dane Brugler, and already went viral for destroying a New England Patriots player on a screen during a joint practice last month.

There’s a long way to go in Jackson’s career, and it will be on him to keep performing at a high level. But he should have plenty of help playing next to four-time Pro Bowler Ryan Kelly at center and Darrisaw, who could return as soon as the Week 2 matchup with the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday night.

It’s all pointing in the right direction, and Jackson could finally answer the question of “Can he play guard?”

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