D
Minnesota Vikings
Daniels is the plan now, and the Vikings grade out a D.
by thajoykileryahoocom ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 14 picks
· 7 steals
· 3 reaches
You can lose a draft before you make a pick. The Vikings did it at the trade table, overpaying to chase players the board did not price nearly as high. Hard to defend, and the D reflects that.
Jayden Daniels is the bet, and the class will be judged on how it pays off. They will answer for taking cornerback early while interior defensive lineman went begging.
The Gore Jr. reach is the anchor dragging on the value grade. For all the activity, interior defensive lineman went untouched, which is hard to explain.
They banked enough surplus on McMillan to cover a lot of smaller sins.
In the end, a class the front office will want to grow past quickly.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 11 they get a franchise quarterback. The biggest hole, addressed.
Good price on Jared Verse in the Round 1 slot, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A tidy bit of business in slot 42, where Quinyon Mitchell graded well above the range. It adds depth where they could use a little.
They read the board right and Tyler Guyton was the payoff at pick 51. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Steal is underselling it; Edgerrin Cooper at the 86th overall pick is a heist with the alarm still ringing. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
Jalen McMillan at Round 4, Pick 9 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
They bypassed pressing needs at interior defensive lineman to take Max Melton, a cornerback that was not the priority.
Of all the spots to shop, they chose linebacker. Tommy Eichenberg in the 135th pick leaves interior defensive lineman for later.
They jumped the gun on Keith Randolph Jr., taking him earlier than his grade liked. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Frank Gore Jr. in Round 5, Pick 21 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
A slide stopped in the 166th overall pick, with Javion Cohen worth more than the price. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Ty'Ron Hopper in No. 179 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. A want dressed up as a pick, at a spot they had covered.
A tidy little value on Kenny Logan Jr. in the Round 7 slot, a step better than break-even. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
They liked Brevyn Spann-Ford enough to skip the value, taking him in pick 229. A need, and now a little less of one.