The start of the NFL season isn’t too far away now but there is still time to get some rankings in ahead of the 2026 season. The good folk over at Pro Football Focus have been doing just that. I previously looked at where PFF ranked the Vikings’ offensive playmakers; this time, I will be looking at the Vikings offensive line.

Where Vikings Offensive Line Players Land in PFF Rankings Ahead of 2026

PFF has been ranking the top 32 players at each position and the offensive line is split into tackle, guard, and center. When it comes to the Vikings offensive line, four of the team’s five starting linemen made it into the rankings. The one who missed out was Donovan Jackson who didn’t do enough in his rookie season to crack the top 32 for guards. Jackson did have a decent rookie season and showed the potential to be able to rise up any guard rankings with continued development.

The positioning of the players in their respective rankings tells a story that we already know. Minnesota’s strength is on the edge with their offensive tackles, while the interior of the offensive line remains a concern despite the amount of money and draft capital that has been thrown at it in recent years. The Vikings IOL comes into the season relatively inexperienced either in terms of years in the league or playing time at a new position.

Brian O’Neill – OT Rank – 14th

O’Neill played a career-low 734 snaps in 2025, but turned in some of his best work when he was on the field. His 81.6 PFF grade was the 12th-best mark among qualified tackles. O’Neill dominated on the ground with a career-high 84.5 PFF run-blocking grade that ranked eighth among that same group. Assuming O’Neill and running mate Christian Darrisaw are healthy, they should be the foundation of a premier offensive line in Minnesota.

Brian O’Neill recently signed a new four-year contract extension worth $96 million, which puts him in range of finishing his career as Vikings. Consistency in both pass protection and run blocking has made him a foundational piece of the Vikings offensive line for several years.

Christian Darrisaw is the Vikings’ best tackle, but O’Neill has been a solid presence on the right side for Minnesota ever since he was drafted in the second round of the 2018 draft. O’Neill has been healthier and more available as of late and his ranking at 14th is about right even if the Vikings fan in me wants to push him closer to the top 10.

Christian Darrisaw – OT Rank – 18th

At his peak, Darrisaw is one of the best tackles in the NFL. Unfortunately, he has yet to play all 17 games in a given season and suited up on fewer than 600 snaps in each of 2024 and 2025. He posted a career-low 65.6 PFF grade last season, but recorded an 80.0-plus grade in three consecutive seasons prior to that. Still just 27 years old, Darrisaw should have ample opportunities to prove himself an elite player once again.

Before his devastating knee injury that occurred during the 2024 season, Darrisaw was firmly in the conversation when picking the best five tackles in the game. His knee injury lingered into last season where he never looked quite right after returning to the field. The good news is Darrisaw has said he is back at 100% heading into the 2026 season. Minnesota will hope he returns to his elite level of play we saw pre-injury, where he could handle the best pass rushers in the game.

Will Fries – OG Rank – 31st

Fries didn’t quite live up to the five-year, $87 million contract he signed last offseason in his first year with Minnesota. His 61.8 PFF grade was much more in line with the level of play he showed in 2022 and 2023. Perhaps he can recapture the excellent form he displayed in 2024, but that performance came across fewer than 300 snaps. It’s possible, but Fries will need to show meaningful improvement this season to justify his hefty contract.

The best thing to say about Will Fries’ first season in Minnesota is that he was healthy. He was the only lineman who managed to play in all 17 games. His play was solid but the Vikings aren’t paying him to be solid and just scrape into a top 32 rankings. He got a huge contract on the back of a few very good games before a broken leg ended his 2024 season.

It was a big risk and Minnesota will be desperately hoping that a year to settle in, a more consistent group alongside him, and a new offensive line coach – Keith Carter – are a recipe for Fries to find the kind of form that earned him his big contract again. As one of the last major bits of business of the departed Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, there is a valid concern that the former GM has left the Vikings with an expensive flop but there is still time for Fries to prove himself and become a cornerstone of the Vikings offensive line.

Blake Brandel – OC Rank – 25th

The Vikings have no clean answers at the center position heading into 2026. Brandel, along with Michael Jurgens and rookie Gavin Gerhardt, stand as the team’s current options to fill the role, none of which provide a proven track record at the NFL level. While Jurgens and Gerhardt have more experience at the position dating back to college, Brandel has seen more action across his six NFL seasons, including a stint as the Vikings’ starting left guard in 2024.

Blake Brandel has been the utility man of the Vikings offensive line over the past few years. Starting as a swing tackle, moving to a starting guard role, and now to the starting center. I’ve seen rankings where Brandel doesn’t make the 32, and with his lack of games at the position that’s fair enough. PFF gives him credit for being a good lineman here with a 25th place in the rankings. How Brandel fares with all the different aspects that come with being at the center of the line will have a big impact on the Vikings’ fortunes this season.

Proud UK Viking. Family Man. Enjoy writing about my team. Away from football an advocate for autism acceptance.

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