Dec 14, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) calls indicators throughout the first half in opposition to the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. Obligatory Credit score: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Pictures
Proper now, the Vikings are rallying round Blake Brandel, Michael Jurgens, and Gavin Gerhardt at middle. A lot skepticism exists for whether or not that trio will create at the very least a single robust starter.
Does something change if one other middle choice will get tossed into the combination?
Just lately, The Athletic provided a bit detailing a person finest UDFA match per group. Scrolling right down to the Vikings means seeing a younger middle uplifted by writer Nick Baumgardner: “A three-time All-Ivy League left tackle, [Delby] Lemieux (6-5, 309) is a terrific athlete who moved inside to work at center for scouts during the pre-draft process. He has short arms (31 3/8 inches), but he’s a great athlete and a very intelligent lineman.”
The Vikings Add a New Middle to Competitors
On the group web site, there’s solely a single middle (Gerhardt, the Seventh-Spherical choice) on the roster, at the very least if the factors includes searching for a “C” being connected to names on the roster record. Such simplicity doesn’t totally seize what’s happening.
In Brandel, the Vikings are using a 5-in-1 participant who can shuffle in every single place. His journey has concerned going from faculty OT, to backup OT within the NFL, to backup/beginning OG, and now to the favourite to being the C1 in Week 1. Likewise, Jurgens possesses versatility, however his is extra bland than Brandel since he’s constrained to the inside of the o-line.
The web part of issues lists Brandel as a “G” and Jurgens as a “G.”
Jan 13, 2025; Glendale, AZ, USA; Minnesota Vikings guard Blake Brandel (64) blocks for quarterback Sam Darnold (14) in opposition to the Los Angeles Rams throughout an NFC wild card sport at State Farm Stadium. Obligatory Credit score: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Pictures.
Maintain wanting via the record of gamers and Delby Lemieux will present up. His place is a obscure, unsatisfying “OL” tag. However whereas the group web site is cautious to not shoehorn him right into a place, the draft evaluation group hasn’t been.
Draft scout Lance Zierlein provides an evaluation on the NFL web site: “Lemieux is very athletic and will have no issues as a pulling center or in getting to his landmarks on outside zone. He’s low-cut and can fit up blocks with leverage but needs to add more bulk. His pass protection is a concern — even inside. He will need to improve his footwork and patience in order to protect at a functional level as a pro.”
Writing for Bleacher Report, Brandon Thorn — a web-based authority on the offensive line — describes the younger fella accordingly: “Lemieux is a 6’4″, 295-pound center prospect who entered the Dartmouth program as an unranked recruit in the 2022 class. The team captain started 27 career games at left tackle, with appearances at right tackle during his freshman campaign. He became an unanimous Ivy league All-American in 2025 and First-Team selection in 2024. Lemieux accepted an invite to the 2026 Senior Bowl.”
Try what Thor Nystrom needed to say on social media: “Strong UDFA showing from the Vikings. Gonna call two shots: My boy Delby Lemieux upsets Jurgens and R7 pick Gerhart to win the C2 job, and Thorson upsets Johnny Hekker — forcing KOC to give his friend the Godfather goodbye — for the punting gig.”
Stepping again from these assessments means with the ability to see quite a bit that’s value praising.
A contact small, Mr. Lemieux is a great participant who boasts excellent athleticism; his 9.33 RAS Rating is elite. Working at middle in a scheme like Minnesota’s means needing these two issues: brains and motion skills. Likewise, the element about being a captain is value remembering, as nicely, since being a middle means needing to be a frontrunner. Rounding out the optimism is that Lemieux should be a employee. Only a few go from being an Ivy League lineman who wasn’t ranked going into faculty to an offseason NFL roster. Clearly, Lemieux isn’t allergic to work.
Vasha Hunt-Imagn Pictures
Now, that doesn’t imply that Lemieux goes to be the Week 1 starter at middle. What’s value noting is solely that the Vikings have introduced him to city to compete. Try how the middle competitors appears with the undrafted younger lad within the combine:
C1: Blake Brandel
C2: Michael Jurgens
C3: Gavin Gerhardt
C4: Delby Lemieux
Mixed, these 4 are supposed to produce a single competent starter. Not elite, maybe, however any individual able to retaining the quarterback from getting body-slammed on a routine foundation.
In any other case, the flip will probably be towards somebody from free company. Or, maybe, there’s a flip to the commerce market. Some have even thought-about the potential for Garrett Bradbury. A couple of weeks in the past, that notion would seem silly, however then the Bears scooped up Logan Jones — a really promising younger middle within the 2026 NFL Draft. What does that imply for the previous 1st-Spherical choice?
Aug 9, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings guard Michael Jurgens (65) holds the ball on the line of scrimmage throughout the fourth quarter in opposition to the Houston Texans at U.S. Financial institution Stadium. Obligatory Credit score: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Pictures
In Delby Lemieux, the Vikings have signed a lineman who is available in at 6’5″ and weighs 305 kilos. He’ll get going with rookie minicamp on the finish of the week.
Senior Editor for Vikings Territory & PurplePTSD . Twitter & Bluesky: @VikingsGazette. Electronic mail: ok.joudry[at]vikingsterritory[dot]com. Canadian. Jude 1:24-25.
