C+
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings drew a line under the quarterback search with McCarthy: C+.
by kgrundseth ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 3 steals
· 6 reaches
The Vikings spent the pick that matters most on J.J. McCarthy, and a roster that has been waiting on a passer can start to take shape. Fine in stretches, shaky in others: a C+.
Reaching for Cole left real value on the table behind him. Pritchett falling to them is the kind of break a good board is built to catch. That wide receiver hole did not close this weekend, and it was the biggest one on the wall.
Hit on J.J. McCarthy and the swing picks, and this ages a lot better than it grades today.
Pick-by-Pick
In slot 4 they get their quarterback of the future, though the board says they badly overpaid. The biggest hole, addressed.
Circle this one: Jonah Elliss at Round 4, Pick 8 is a fall that decides a draft. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Trevor Keegan at the Round 4 slot is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Nehemiah Pritchett at No. 165 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
Value said wait; Myles Cole in pick 167 says they were not listening. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
A quiet steal in pick No. 177: Kamal Hadden for less than the market said. A luxury on a unit that was already in good shape.
A premium they did not need to pay, Dominique Hampton a notch or two before his time. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
A real head-scratcher, Rasheen Ali in the 230th overall pick is miles ahead of his ranking. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
They paid up for KT Leveston at slot 232 when waiting would have done the job. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.