D
Minnesota Vikings
A franchise passer in McCarthy headlines a D weekend for the Vikings.
by Dabum ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 1 steals
· 4 reaches
The phones were a trap the Vikings kept walking into, shipping out surplus on nearly every deal. The process wobbled, and the D is where it lands.
The whole projection now runs through J.J. McCarthy; hit there and everything else looks smarter. They will need McCarthy to outplay his draft slot in a hurry to justify it. They will regret leaving running back for another day if the season turns on it.
The McCormick value carries more weight than any single miss elsewhere.
Bottom line, they will need several of these picks to beat their grades just to break even, and running back is still a hole.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick No. 10 they get a long-term answer under center, a steep price for the projection. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
In Round 1, Pick 11 they get a quarterback's worst nightmare. Exactly the need they had to hit.
Good price on T'Vondre Sweat in the Round 2 slot, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
No edge and no loss on Cooper Beebe in No. 72; it is a wash and a sensible one. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
James Williams in the 109th pick is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
They paid sticker price for Mohamed Kamara in the 130th overall pick, and that is fine. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A reach for Luke McCaffrey in slot 156; a little patience would have been rewarded. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Kamal Hadden at pick 166 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
They jumped the gun on Tahj Washington, taking him earlier than his grade liked. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
They will replay Mason McCormick at Round 6, Pick 15 for years; that is how good the value is. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.