Kevin O’Connell Says that a Trenchman’s Growth Ahead of 2026 Has Been “Monumental”

Kevin O’Connell tends to be an optimist. Still, the word choice is quite bold.

Minnesota’s outgoing skipper did his weekly sit down interview with KFAN’s Paul Allen. Doing so allowed the pair to swerve into a variety of topics that are of interest to Minnesota Vikings football. In one instance, Coach O’Connell kicked some nice praise over to sophomore large lad Donovan Jackson. The top coach called Jackson’s improvement “monumental,” creating some intrigue about where things are going with the LG1.

Kevin O’Connell Expects Nice Growth from LG1 Donovan Jackson

Per O’Connell, the plan is to see the left side of Minnesota’s offensive line become dominant. Both of the players over there are homegrown talents who are moving into 2026 with momentum. Consider how the starting five got added in Minnesota:

• LT1 Christian Darrisaw, Drafted No. 23 in the 2021 NFL Draft
• LG1 Donovan Jackson, Drafted No. 24 in the 2025 NFL Draft
• C1 Blake Brandel, Drafted No. 203 in the 2020 NFL Draft
• RG1 Will Fries, Signed to 5-Year $88M Deal in 2024
• RT1 Brian O’Neill, Drafted No. 62 in 2018 NFL Draft

For a long time, the Vikings have struggled to build the offensive line. Mike Zimmer’s years were largely characterized by dominant defense and an offensive line that couldn’t protect the passer. Rolling into 2026, there’s considerable optimism for how good the front five can become. Most of those guys got drafted by the Vikings — a trio of Rick Spielman picks, one by Kwesi Adofo-Mensah — and have become good ball players.

Over the weekend, Vikings Territory offered a piece arguing that Mr. Jackson is the Vikings’ top breakout candidate.

According to PFF, Jackson was last year’s 45th-best guard (81 under consideration). Where he showed the most promise was in pass protection, an area of the game where he pulled down a 65.7 grade that led to being listed at 26th overall.

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His report card shows 2 sacks allowed, 5 QB hits allowed, and 26 pressures. There were then 4 penalties.

Already, Donovan Jackson has proven a few things. For starters, he’s a good ball player who can be at least an average NFL player. Do note, though, that he proved that from within a season where he needed wrist surgery and had to sort through a pile of injuries around him. Worse yet, his position coach (Chris Kuper) got canned after the season, surefire evidence that there was internal discontent about how the offensive line was coming along. Oh, and the QB play was abysmal.

Seeing him improve in his sophomore season isn’t a locked-in reality. A lot of guys battle sophomore slumps. What appears more likely, though, is a really nice step forward.

Kevin O’Connell went on to explain that “that left side is something else now when those guys get going.” Put differently, the Darrisaw and Jackson twosome is capable of putting a dent into the line of scrimmage.

Donovan Jackson is 23.

Senior Editor for Vikings Territory & PurplePTSD . Twitter & Bluesky: @VikingsGazette. Email: k.joudry[at]vikingsterritory[dot]com. Canadian. Jude 1:24-25.

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