B+
Minnesota Vikings
A masterclass at the trade table lands the Vikings a B+.
by kgrundseth ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 17 picks
· 0 steals
· 4 reaches
The Michael Pratt selection is the head-turner. The Vikings reached 53 spots for him, and it will define how this weekend is remembered.
Every deal seemed to tilt their way, which is not luck. The imported veterans give this class a floor the draft picks could not on their own.
In sum, a sensible class that nudges the roster the right way.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 14 they get a premier pass rusher. The biggest hole, addressed.
Michael Pratt in the 49th overall pick is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Khyree Jackson in slot 108 lands just on the right side of the ledger. A minor need, but a need all the same.
A market-rate linebacker, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Cedric Gray. It adds depth where they could use a little.
They paid sticker price for Theo Johnson in pick No. 145, and that is fine. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
By-the-book stuff, Jaylen Wright at Round 5, Pick 16 squarely in line with his ranking. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Chau Smith-Wade in the Round 5 slot is fair value, right on his grade. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.
Nothing to complain about; Layden Robinson went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
They reached a country mile for Gabe Hall at pick 169, and the board is aghast. The roster fit checks out.
They took Nathan Thomas at par in slot 173, which is nothing to complain about. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Aki Ogunbiyi at the 179th overall pick is right where the board had him, plain and simple. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Fair-plus on Jordan Magee, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. A want dressed up as a pick, at a spot they had covered.
Jalen Green in pick No. 201 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A tidy little value on Zakhari Franklin in the 230th pick, a step better than break-even. It fills a real need, too.
A premium they did not need to pay, Chad Lindberg a notch or two before his time. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Dwight McGlothern at pick No. 253 is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. Insurance at a position that did not really ask for it.
Value said wait; Jayson Jones in slot 254 says they were not listening. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.