B-
Minnesota Vikings
A solid, sensible weekend for the Vikings: B-.
by jimbo92107 ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 3 steals
· 5 reaches
The Vikings torched the value chart for Mike Washington Jr., taking him 34 spots sooner than anyone had him slotted.
However the rest shakes out, Rodriguez at that price is a win they earned. The quarterback hole is the one line item this class does not answer.
Good work on the whole, with quarterback the one box left unchecked.
Pick-by-Pick
D'Angelo Ponds in the 47th overall pick is fair value, right on his grade. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
They paid sticker price for Jake Slaughter in No. 49, and that is fine. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Dontay Corleone slipping to pick 78 is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Mike Washington Jr. in the Round 3 slot, miles early. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Steal is underselling it; Jacob Rodriguez at pick No. 97 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
They reached a country mile for VJ Payne at Round 5, Pick 23, and the board is aghast. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Miles Kitselman at the 196th pick is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Taking Jeff Caldwell in the 234th overall pick is close to grand larceny; a wide receiver that good had no business lasting this long. The roster fit checks out.
They went early on Isaiah Jatta in Round 7, Pick 19, and the value did not follow. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Bryce Foster at pick 244 is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.