C+
Minnesota Vikings
A passer of the future in McCarthy, and a C+, for the Vikings.
by kgrundseth ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 1 steals
· 4 reaches
The one hole that towered over the rest is filled. The Vikings spent their marquee pick on J.J. McCarthy, and for the first time in a while there is a real answer at quarterback. It washes out to a C+, no better and no worse.
The Jones pick is the one they will point to when this weekend is judged. If McCarthy pans out, nobody remembers the price. If not, this is the pick they hear about. With edge rusher, safety and other spots unsolved, spending premium capital on OLB-EDGE is the choice that costs them.
If this class has a fault line, it runs straight through edge rusher.
If J.J. McCarthy and a couple of the gambles land, hindsight will be kinder than this grade.
Pick-by-Pick
J.J. McCarthy at the 11th overall pick is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
They paid sticker price for Kalen King in slot 42, and that is fine. A minor itch, scratched.
Hard to square with the roster. With positions of obvious need still on the board, Javon Solomon adds an OLB-EDGE and leaves edge rusher, safety and other spots untouched.
A straight-up fair deal on MarShawn Lloyd at pick 130, value and slot in agreement. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
No drama and no debate, Ty'Ron Hopper went about where he belonged in Round 5, Pick 12. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
Value said wait; Javon Baker in No. 160 says they were not listening. The roster fit checks out.
Jarrian Jones at pick No. 166 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. A luxury on a unit that was already in good shape.
They went early on Aki Ogunbiyi in the 179th pick, and the value did not follow. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Zion Logue in No. 230, miles early. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.