D-
Minnesota Vikings
Daniels is the plan now, and the Vikings grade out a D-.
by kgrundseth ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 3 steals
· 0 reaches
The phones were a trap the Vikings kept walking into, shipping out surplus on nearly every deal. A D- that will need time and luck to look better.
Whatever Jayden Daniels becomes, the front office has tied its fortunes to the answer. The Wallace pick is the one they will point to when this weekend is judged. They punted on tight end, and it is the miss that keeps the grade honest.
They are betting the present roster is worth a lighter draft next spring.
In short, the board sent warnings, and they will be hoping it was wrong.
Pick-by-Pick
In the Round 1 slot they get their quarterback of the future at fair value. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
In No. 5 they get a true top target. A real need, handled.
Darius Robinson at pick 42 is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A market-rate safety, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Cole Bishop. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Jaylin Simpson in pick No. 129 is fair value, right on his grade. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
A straight-up fair deal on Isaiah Davis at the 157th pick, value and slot in agreement. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
They took Javion Cohen at par in the 167th overall pick, which is nothing to complain about. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Steal is underselling it; Jarrian Jones at Round 6, Pick 2 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. They added to a strength when a need was still open elsewhere.
Luke McCaffrey in the 188th pick is a gift, value that borders on unfair. The roster fit checks out.
The board fumbled Caedan Wallace all the way to pick 230, and they scooped it up. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.