The Minnesota Vikings enter Week 16 with few weaknesses on the offensive side of the ball, but one spot the team must address this coming offseason is right guard.
Dalton Risner has manned that spot for Minnesota since returning from injured reserve in Week 11. His current standing as the starter is less about his inspired play, and more about the struggles of former second-round pick Ed Ingram.
Risner is set to hit free agency in 2025, after signing a one-year deal worth $2.41 million to stay with Minnesota this past offseason. He turns 30 in June, and while Ingram is signed through 2025 on his rookie deal, there’s a good chance the team seeks an upgrade at the position, either via free agency or the draft.
Matt Holder of Bleacher Report predicts the team will select Arizona Wildcats junior Jonah Savaiinaea on one of the final two days of the 2025 NFL Draft. Here was his take on the potential fit:
Guard is one of the Vikings' weaknesses … So, Minnesota general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah will likely be exploring the position in this year's draft class and the Arizona product could be a good mid-round option.
Savaiinaea plays tackle for the Wildcats, but he projects as an interior lineman in the NFL, per the B/R scouting department. He’s a big man, standing 6-foot-5 and 330 pounds, and could at the very least push Ingram for the right guard spot, if the Vikings do indeed move on from Risner.
Minnesota’s ability to draft Savaiinaea is another story. The team is currently projected to have four total selections in this April’s draft. They’ll have a late first-round pick, two fifth-round selections, and a projected third-round compensatory pick for Kirk Cousins leaving for Atlanta in free agency.
Savaiinaea is currently projected to go off the board in the third round, so he’s 50/50 to be available when Minnesota’s comp pick rolls around. Still, right guard figures to be on GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s radar, and given the team’s high-ranking free agents on defense, like cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. and safety Cam Bynum, it’s reasonable to see them looking to the draft to add at that position.
