A-
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings turned the phones into found money: A-.
by kgrundseth ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 3 steals
· 5 reaches
There is conviction, and then there is this. The Vikings took Zakhari Franklin a full 44 picks ahead of where the board had him, an overdraft steep enough that it colors the whole weekend. It holds up to a second look, which is why it earns the A-.
The phones were where this weekend was really won. If this class has a fault line, it runs straight through safety. Zinter falling to them is the kind of break a good board is built to catch.
Trust the process, because this time the process plainly worked.
Pick-by-Pick
In slot 22 they get juice off the edge at fair value. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
Trey Benson in the 52nd overall pick is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Value said wait; Michael Pratt in pick 84 says they were not listening. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
They let Zak Zinter come to them and pounced at pick No. 108. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
The board had Jarrian Jones higher than Round 4, Pick 30, and the cornerback fell to them anyway. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
A slide stopped in the Round 5 slot, with Kamal Hadden worth more than the price. They added to a strength when a need was still open elsewhere.
Layden Robinson in the Round 5 slot is exactly on the number, no argument either way. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A conviction pick on Trey Knox at the 166th pick that the board grades a round light. It fills a real need, too.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Zakhari Franklin. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
DeMonte Capehart in Round 7, Pick 10 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. It patches a soft spot without any drama.