B
Minnesota Vikings
Quarterback settled, McCarthy in the fold, and a B for the Vikings.
by kgrundseth ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 14 picks
· 4 steals
· 5 reaches
They finally answered the question that shadows every other one. J.J. McCarthy is the Vikings' quarterback, full stop.
It is not that Melton is a bad player; it is that the Vikings had louder needs to answer first. The safety hole is the one line item this class does not answer.
The McCarthy reach is the anchor dragging on the value grade. Getting Wilson where they did is the sort of value that quietly makes a class.
All told, a solid class that does its job everywhere but safety.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 23rd pick they get their quarterback of the future, though the board says they badly overpaid. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
No edge and no loss on Kalen King in No. 42; it is a wash and a sensible one. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
Kris Jenkins at Round 2, Pick 14 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Brenden Rice in the 59th overall pick is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Payton Wilson in the Round 3 slot is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
The eyebrow-raiser of the weekend. They went cornerback with Max Melton while clear needs at safety and interior defensive lineman sat open.
Darius Robinson slipping to pick 130 is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
A premium they did not need to pay, Jaylen Wright a notch or two before his time. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Jaheim Bell in slot 157. A need, and now a little less of one.
A tidy bit of business in the 166th pick, where Ty'Ron Hopper graded well above the range. Nice player, but the depth chart did not need him here.
Nathan Thomas in pick 179 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
They went early on Steele Chambers in Round 7, Pick 7, and the value did not follow. A want dressed up as a pick, at a spot they had covered.
Value said wait; Matthew Jones in pick No. 232 says they were not listening. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
A straight-up fair deal on Hunter Nourzad at the 245th overall pick, value and slot in agreement. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.