B+
Minnesota Vikings
Nobody dealt better than the Vikings this weekend: B+.
by kgrundseth ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 21 picks
· 1 steals
· 9 reaches
The move everyone will second-guess came early. The Vikings reached some 44 spots for Zakhari Franklin, and value like that does not grow back. Call it a sensible B+, earned the boring way.
The phones were where this weekend was really won. Cohen falling to them is the kind of break a good board is built to catch.
In sum, a sensible class that nudges the roster the right way.
Pick-by-Pick
They paid a round early for Byron Murphy II in No. 35, more than the board wanted. The roster fit checks out.
No drama and no debate, Kris Jenkins went about where he belonged in the 42nd overall pick. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
They took Ja'Tavion Sanders at par in Round 2, Pick 23, which is nothing to complain about. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
A straight-up fair deal on Edgerrin Cooper at the 58th pick, value and slot in agreement. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
Trey Benson at slot 71 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. A need, and now a little less of one.
The board had cheaper options than Michael Pratt at pick 89, and it noticed. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Good price on Mike Sainristil in the Round 3 slot, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
Ainias Smith in the 118th pick is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
By-the-book stuff, Cedric Gray at slot 126 squarely in line with his ranking. Pure best-available; the position was not exactly begging.
A tidy little value on Cole Bishop in pick 130, a step better than break-even. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
A reasonable price with a little left over, Kamal Hadden in Round 5, Pick 2. Stacking talent where they were already deep.
They jumped the gun on Justin Rogers, taking him earlier than his grade liked. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
A reach on Layden Robinson in the 154th overall pick; the board had better options right there. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Nothing to complain about; Austin Booker went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Steal is underselling it; Javion Cohen at the 166th overall pick is a heist with the alarm still ringing. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Zakhari Franklin. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
They talked themselves into Chad Lindberg at the Round 7 slot, and the board did not agree. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
They did well to land Steele Chambers in the 227th pick, just ahead of his grade. Depth on depth, at a spot that was hardly crying out.
Eric Gentry at pick 230 is a conviction pick that outran the value. They added to a strength when a need was still open elsewhere.
Donovan Jennings at pick No. 235 is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
They paid up for Xavier Thomas at slot 236 when waiting would have done the job. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.