B-
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings bet the future on Daniels. The board says B-.
by kgrundseth ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 0 steals
· 5 reaches
There was a run on nobody at that position, and the Vikings started one anyway for Solomon Byrd, 80 picks ahead of schedule.
Jayden Daniels is the bet, and the class will be judged on how it pays off. If this class has a fault line, it runs straight through safety.
The Smith pick reads as want over need, and the roster will feel it at safety, wide receiver and other spots.
All told, a solid class that does its job everywhere but safety.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick 3 they get a franchise quarterback. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
Value said wait; Christian Jones in No. 103 says they were not listening. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
They zigged when the board said zag, taking Maason Smith at DT-EDGE with safety, wide receiver and other spots open.
They paid sticker price for Jaylin Simpson in the Round 4 slot, and that is fine. A minor itch, scratched.
A wild overpay on Myles Cole in the 157th pick, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Andrew Raym well ahead of where he belonged. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Solomon Byrd in the 177th pick is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Rasheen Ali in the Round 7 slot is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.