D
Minnesota Vikings
A costly weekend of dealing drags the Vikings to a D.
by JGILL ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 13 picks
· 3 steals
· 2 reaches
The Vikings lost the trade war and it was not close, handing partners the better end again and again. The process wobbled, and the D is where it lands.
They will answer for taking cornerback early while tight end went begging. For all the activity, tight end went untouched, which is hard to explain. Every board in the league had Milton III lower, and that gap is the story.
Landing McCaffrey that late papers over a lot of smaller sins.
The verdict is not kind, and fairly so; this class has a hill to climb.
Pick-by-Pick
A reach on Brian Thomas Jr. in No. 15; the board had better options right there. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
In the Round 1 slot they get a press-man option on the boundary at fair value. More want than need.
Payton Wilson in the 42nd pick is exactly on the number, no argument either way. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
A straight-up fair deal on J.J. McCarthy at slot 46, value and slot in agreement. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Of all the spots to shop, they chose cornerback. T.J. Tampa in the 57th overall pick leaves tight end for later.
A quiet steal in pick No. 68: Braden Fiske for less than the market said. It fills a real need, too.
Cole Bishop in pick 109 is fair value, right on his grade. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Trevor Keegan at Round 5, Pick 20 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
They paid sticker price for Walter Rouse in the Round 5 slot, and that is fine. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
By-the-book stuff, Khristian Boyd at pick 179 squarely in line with his ranking. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
The board had Luke McCaffrey higher than pick No. 182, and the wide receiver fell to them anyway. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
A conviction pick on Joe Milton III at the 190th overall pick that the board grades a round light. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Good price on Rasheen Ali in slot 229, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. The roster fit checks out.