B-
Minnesota Vikings
Quarterback settled, McCarthy in the fold, and a B- for the Vikings.
by kgrundseth ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 2 steals
· 2 reaches
They finally answered the question that shadows every other one. J.J. McCarthy is the Vikings' quarterback, full stop.
The cost of the McCarthy reach is exactly the players who went right after him. Whatever else happened, they won the night they took Smith-Wade.
That edge rusher hole did not close this weekend, and it was the biggest one on the wall. On the needs board they went 4 of 8, with quarterback the one that mattered most.
Good work on the whole, with edge rusher the one box left unchecked.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick No. 11 they get a passer to set the clock by, a steep price for the projection. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
Byron Murphy II in Round 2, Pick 10 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Khyree Jackson at the 108th overall pick nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
No edge and no loss on MarShawn Lloyd in the 129th pick; it is a wash and a sensible one. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
A tidy bit of business in the Round 5 slot, where Cedric Gray graded well above the range. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
LaDarius Henderson at slot 160 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
They took Layden Robinson at par in pick 168, which is nothing to complain about. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Chau Smith-Wade at No. 179 is money in the bank, a cornerback taken below his worth. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.
Matthew Jones in the 230th pick is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.