The Vikings acquired center Mason Cole from the Arizona Cardinals for a sixth-round pick Thursday. In confirming the trade, the Vikings added that Cole still must pass a physical. Minnesota will send the 223rd pick in the 2021 draft to Arizona. The Vikings still have the 199th pick in the sixth round.
The move likely was made with the plan to shift Cole to guard and have him compete for a position on the left side of the line. The Vikings are looking for a guard to replace Dakota Dozier and already have 2019 first-round pick Garrett Bradbury at center. There have been no indications Bradbury’s job is in jeopardy.
Cole was a third-round pick out of Michigan by the Cardinals in 2018 and was used at center as a rookie and last season. His pass blocking grades have been 46, 63 and 42, according to Pro Football Focus. The highest of those grades came at guard.
Cole, who will turn 25 on Sunday, made 32 starts in 46 games. The only two games he missed came last season.
Mason Cole played 913 snaps for Arizona last year as a center.
Among 38 qualified centers, he ranked 35th in @PFF pass blocking grade.
Slightly ahead of Garrett Bradbury, who ranked 37th out of 38. https://t.co/9WfUJVs3BN
— Phil Mackey (@PhilMackey) March 25, 2021