A-
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings cashed the board's mistake on Jones: A-.
by Campbell78th ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 11 picks
· 5 steals
· 1 reaches
Give the war room a raise for the dealing alone. The Vikings came out ahead on every exchange that mattered, and it was not close. The sum of the weekend is a deserved A-.
They banked enough surplus on Jones to cover a lot of smaller sins. Adding Rob Havenstein by trade rounds out the weekend beyond the rookies.
Every board in the league had Proctor lower, and that gap is the story. The future picks help the war chest more than the win-now roster.
Add it up and few war rooms did better this weekend, Byron Murphy II and all.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick 20 they get an anchor for the defensive front. A real need, handled.
No edge and no loss on J.J. McCarthy in the Round 2 slot; it is a wash and a sensible one. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
By-the-book stuff, Gabriel Murphy at pick No. 84 squarely in line with his ranking. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Nice patience on Jacob Cowing, who had no business lasting to the 108th pick. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
A tidy little value on Johnny Dixon in the 129th overall pick, a step better than break-even. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
Jaheim Bell is a better player than slot 148 suggests; smart patience, rewarded. It fills a real need, too.
The board had Dylan Laube higher than Round 5, Pick 24, and the running back fell to them anyway. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Ty'Ron Hopper at pick No. 168. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
They jumped the gun on Josh Proctor, taking him earlier than his grade liked. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Jeremy Flax in the 230th overall pick is fair value, right on his grade. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Steal is underselling it; Myles Jones at slot 241 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. Nice player, but the depth chart did not need him here.