Let’s Debate! The Best Offensive Linemen in Minnesota Vikings Franchise History
By: Ross Blilie
3–25–2023
This is the third installment of a mini-series I decided to write this week. If you are new to following me, I like to write as well as talk, about pro football; specifically the Minnesota Vikings. If you’re a longtime fan or friend of mine supporting me, thanks! I really appreciate that.
With that in mind, let’s talk about who the best offensive linemen are in the history of the Vikings franchise. First things first, let’s see who I can name. There’s Todd Stussie, Grady Alderman, Korey Stringer, Steve Hutchinson, Randall McDaniel,Mick Tinglehoff, Ron Yary, Gary Zimmermann, and Matt Birk. Before I go onto my rankings, I will confess right now that I only got three of those names. The other names I had to Google.
To rank these players, I considered the era they played in. I also think that playing a lot of games without getting hurt is a big factor into how these players should be ranked.
Mick Tinglehoff- 1960’s Center
Ron Yary-1960’s Guard/Center
Grady Alderman-1960’s Tackle
Todd Stussie-1990’s Tackle
Steve Hutchinson-2000’s Tackle/Guard
Randall McDaniel-1990’s early 2000’s Guard/Tackle
Matt Birk-mid 90’s - mid 2000’s
Korey Stringer- mid 90’s Tackle
Christian Darrisaw- current Tackle
Bryant McKinney-2000’s Tackle
I think this list could keep getting longer, but a top ten list is pretty good for now. I put Mick Tinglehoff number one because he is the quintessential Minnesota Vikings Offensive Line caller. I know that some might say that Matt Birk is the quintessential Vikings lineman, or that Ron Yary was the man back in the early days of the team, but I’m going with Mick Tinglehoff.
I put Ron Yary second because he played alongside Tinglehoff and Alderman who I have ranked third. All three of these guys are ranked where they are because of how they set the standard for how the Vikings offensive line should be. They never missed any games, and if they did, it was only for something major. Alderman was tiny for the era he played in. He was 6’2" and 240 playing tackle! He didn’t miss a single game for nine straight seasons! That’s impressive to me.
Todd Stussie, Randall McDaniel, Steve Hutchinson, are all right around the same place. They are hard to rank because when they played, they were huge compared to other teams. They were all really good at run blocking.
Korey Stringer made the list because of how well he played before he died.
I put Christian Darrisaw on the list because he is a current player as well as that he is the highest graded tackle in the league right now. I had to put Bryant McKinney on the list because I feel like he was one of the last great tackles the Vikings had before they drafted Darrisaw.
What are your thoughts on this list? Do you agree or disagree? Or do we just agree to disagree? Let me know in the comments.
Ross Blilie is an avid NFL fan of the Minnesota Vikings since the 1990’s. He loves to talk about the NFL and the Vikings every chance he gets. His hobbies also include bowling with his wife and friends, narrating audiobooks, fishing, and even sitting by a campfire with family at Lake Blackduck in Minnesota. You can find Ross on twitter & Instagram @Rossthenarrator.
