Will Fries played over 3,000 snaps as a four-year starter at Penn State from 2017-20 but was just a seventh-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Now, after three seasons starting at guard for the Indianapolis Colts, Fries has cashed in big signing a 5-year $88 million deal with the Minnesota Vikings.
The former Nittany Lion right tackle moved to right guard in the NFL. He played 1,125 snaps as a full-time starter in 2023, then fractured his tibia five games into the 2024 season, the final year of his rookie contract. In a league desperate to protect its quarterbacks, the soon-to-be 27-year-old was a hot commodity on the open market. Fries will play next to former Colts teammate Ryan Kelly in Minnesota. The veteran center also inked a free-agent deal with the Vikings.
Through five games last season, Fries allowed just six quarterback pressures and two sacks from his right-guard spot. He earned an 84.9 run-blocking grade and a 74.9 pass-blocking grade from Pro Football Focus, the best of his career.
Minnesota’s investment in the interior offensive line is aimed at easing the transition from Sam Darnold, who left for Seattle in free agency, to 2024 first-round pick JJ McCarthy. The former Michigan quarterback is yet to make his NFL debut after tearing his ACL in the preseason of his rookie year.
The Vikings' 14-3 season was derailed down the stretch by a lack of protection for Darnold, another former first-round quarterback. The problem began for Minnesota when left tackle Christian Darrisaw went out for the year. General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah swung a midseason trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars for left tackle Cam Robinson as a stop-gap, and now the offseason overhaul in the trenches is complete with the signings of Fries and Kelly.
As a four-year starter at Penn State, it was a surprise when Fries fell to the seventh round, and now after this mega-deal, it’s clear he never should have. While he was forced to kick inside to guard, a less valuable position, he quickly became an above-average NFL starter, which is an ideal outcome for such a late draft pick.