Cody Ford can fix the Vikings’ identity crisis

The Oklahoma blocker could move inside for Minnesota.

A year after going 13-3 in 2017, the Vikings spent huge on quarterback Kirk Cousins. Things did not go as planned.

Minnesota dropped to 8-7-1 last season because of an inconsistent defense and an offense that couldn’t figure out its identity. Despite giving Cousins $84 million guaranteed, Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer wanted more of a run-based offense. The team canned offensive coordinator John DeFilippo near the end of the season, with Kevin Stefanski taking over.

The Vikings won two of their last three games, but by then it was too late. With little cap room, they have done little this offseason to get better. The team will turn to the draft for that, and to hopefully establish a more clear identity on offense. Christopher Gates from the Daily Norseman is here in the SB Nation NFL writers’ mock draft is here to do as much.

18. Minnesota Vikings: Cody Ford, OT, Oklahoma

Gates: While we considered players such as Noah Fant and Christian Wilkins for this pick, in the end we decided that we needed to avoid the mistakes of past drafts and use this selection to address the biggest screaming need on the Vikings’ roster. That, of course, is the offensive line.

We considered a couple of offensive linemen with this selection. In the end, we made the decision that Ford would be the best fit for the Vikings with the way their line is currently constructed. Though he played tackle in college, Ford would likely slot in as the starting left guard for the Vikings and allow them to have some continuity on the offensive line. A lot of other offensive line picks the Vikings could make would probably require them to shuffle someone such as Riley Reiff or Pat Elflein to a different position, and after watching the team play musical chairs with the offensive line for the past couple of seasons, it would be nice to see them at least try to keep some sort of continuity.

For a bigger player, Ford is surprisingly nimble on his feet, and that should help him fit into the zone blocking scheme new offensive line coach Rick Dennison is going to attempt to install this season. With this selection, we address the Vikings’ biggest need and give them someone they could build around on the front line for the long term.

Analysis: The best thing that could’ve happened to the Vikings in this draft is if there were a high-caliber true guard. There certainly isn’t a Quenton Nelson in this draft. Instead, the Vikings will have to get creative if they want to plug in a guard in the first round. North Carolina State’s Garrett Bradbury is close in terms of value, but he’s not a great fit for Minnesota’s system. Because of that, it’s hard to fault taking Ford. Even if Minnesota decides he stays at tackle, he is arguably an upgrade.

Top five remaining players:

• 8. Jeffery Simmons, DT, Mississippi State
• 10. Christian Wilkins, DT, Clemson
• 13. Josh Jacobs, RB, Alabama
• 16. Noah Fant, TE, Iowa
• 17. Byron Murphy, CB, Washington

That closes us out for the week in the SB Nation NFL writers’ mock draft. We’ll be back on Monday with Music City Miracles making the choice for the Tennessee Titans at No. 19.

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