Vikings Lack of Energy & Inability to Get Above…

What’s happening with Wyatt Davis? His name is never mentioned in any of the articles we read regarding who is going to play guard for the Vikings. Is there any word on his progress as a pro football guard? I am still waiting for the “mauler” and “road grader” to emerge.

— Paul R. in Stanchfield, Minnnesota

At this point in the season, there’s a reason why Davis hasn’t been mentioned in terms of playing time.

He’s simply not ready to play and hasn’t shown the development and progress that coaches want to see from the rookie.

That’s a disappointment, considering the high expectations Davis held when he arrived as third-round pick.

I went back and looked at what draft expect Dane Brugler of The Athletic compiled about Davis, whom Brugler has ranked as the No. 5 guard in the 2021 draft class.

Overall, Davis must play under control and improve his snap-to-snap consistency, but his forceful hands, powerful anchor and finishing skills are NFL-ready. He projects as a guard who will compete for immediate snaps.

Reading that, you’d expect Davis to be playing by now, especially since he’s competed against a tackle who moved to guard (Olisaemeka Udoh), a journeyman interior lineman (Dakota Dozier) and a player acquired for just a sixth-round pick (Mason Cole).

It’s not as if Davis has had to play behind Randall McDaniel or Steve Hutchinson at the guard spot. But the hope is that he has grown and gotten better, even if it’s been in practice and not on game days.

Davis was one of four Vikings third-round picks in 2021, all of whom haven’t contributed much.

Davis and quarterback Kellen Mond haven’t seen the field at all (although Mond was active Sunday for the first time all season because Sean Mannion was added to the Reserve/COVID-19 list). Linebacker Chazz Surratt hasn’t played a single defensive snap, and defensive end Patrick Jones II has been a rotational piece at defensive end, even with plenty of absences there.

Some rookies take time to develop, and that’s OK. But I think when you have so many of them, the expectation is that a few more of them contribute than what the Vikings have had this season.

With an early offseason potentially looming, there might be plenty of time soon to digest the 2021 Vikings and evaluate the roster.