B
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings let Slaughter fall into their laps, and walked away with a B.
by jimbo92107 ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 7 steals
· 0 reaches
The rest of the league will want that one back. Jake Slaughter tumbling to the Vikings in pick 97 is a gift they did not have to think twice about. A sturdy weekend that grades out a B.
They will regret leaving quarterback for another day if the season turns on it. A small leak at the table, if not a fatal one.
Job largely done: offensive lineman settled and 5 of 8 of the wish list covered.
Bottom line, more hits than misses and a roster nudged the right way.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick No. 18 they get a featured back, and a steal at that. A real need, handled.
Eli Stowers at the 83rd pick is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Steal is underselling it; Jake Slaughter at No. 97 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
A wide receiver of that caliber at the Round 4 slot is the definition of value, full stop. The roster fit checks out.
Taking Hezekiah Masses in the 163rd overall pick is close to grand larceny; a cornerback that good had no business lasting this long. A minor itch, scratched.
They will replay Bryce Boettcher at Round 6, Pick 15 for years; that is how good the value is. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
Fair-plus on Thaddeus Dixon, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.
Brandon Cleveland at slot 235 nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. A need, and now a little less of one.
Nothing to complain about; TJ Hall went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. Insurance at a position that did not really ask for it.
Value with a capital V on Kaden Wetjen in Round 7, Pick 28, a genuine coup. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.