When the Vikings drafted Brian O’Neill in the second round back in April, the view from most draft analysts was that he needed to add strength and some bulk before being NFL-ready, and needed some time to improve his technique as well- having been a converted tight-end with only three years experience as an offensive linemen at Pitt.
In my draft break-down of O’Neill, I figured the Vikings would give him a year as a backup to improve his strength and technique before having him compete for a starting job. But over the course of training camp and pre-season, O’Neill looked to be progressing faster than that.