A-
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings worked the phones like thieves and earned a A-.
by kgrundseth ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 14 picks
· 2 steals
· 3 reaches
The Vikings ran the phones like sharks, prying loose value on deal after deal until the ledger was lopsided. It holds up to a second look, which is why it earns the A-.
They covered a lot of ground and still skipped safety, which is a strange place to end up. The McGlothern pick is the one the value grade keeps tripping over.
Getting Smith where they did is the sort of value that quietly makes a class. The veteran additions, Marcus Epps chief among them, give the class a floor the rookies alone would not.
In the end it comes back to J.J. McCarthy, and a haul good enough to build on right away.
Pick-by-Pick
A premium they did not need to pay, J.J. McCarthy a notch or two before his time. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Fair-plus on Chop Robinson, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
No drama and no debate, Jackson Powers-Johnson went about where he belonged in slot 48. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
A straight-up fair deal on Ray Davis at the 108th overall pick, value and slot in agreement. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Khyree Jackson at No. 109 nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
Leonard Taylor III at the 112th pick is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Ainias Smith slid further than he should have, and the Round 4 slot is lovely value for the wide receiver. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Javion Cohen at Round 5, Pick 12 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Ty'Ron Hopper in the Round 5 slot is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
Good things come to war rooms that wait, and McCallan Castles at No. 166 is the proof. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
They paid sticker price for Curtis Jacobs in the 179th overall pick, and that is fine. It is more luxury than necessity; they were already set here.
No edge and no loss on Steele Chambers in pick No. 230; it is a wash and a sensible one. They doubled down on a strength rather than a need.
Dwight McGlothern at pick 237 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. Insurance at a position that did not really ask for it.
They jumped the gun on Chad Lindberg, taking him earlier than his grade liked. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.