The best pick of the weekend was also the simplest. The Vikings watched Josh Cameron slide 44 picks past his grade and did not hesitate. More right than wrong, and a B to match.
The quarterback spot stays a question, and it was the one they most needed an answer at. Job largely done: safety settled and 5 of 8 of the wish list covered. Quantity was the play, for better or worse.
In sum, a sturdy weekend with one asterisk, the quarterback spot they never got to.
Pick-by-Pick
R1.20
· Pick 20
· Arvell Reese
· LB
· rank 7
In slot 20 they get a coverage-and-run second-level piece, and a steal at that.
R2.17
· Pick 49
· A.J. Haulcy
· S
· rank 50
A.J. Haulcy in pick 49 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
R3.18
· Pick 82
· Jake Slaughter
· C
· rank 58
Jake Slaughter in the Round 3 slot is a gift, value that borders on unfair. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
R3.28
· Pick 92
· Treydan Stukes
· CB
· rank 72
Circle this one: Treydan Stukes at pick No. 92 is a fall that decides a draft. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
R4.12
· Pick 112
· Skyler Bell
· WR
· rank 85
A wide receiver of that caliber at Round 4, Pick 12 is the definition of value, full stop. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
R5.23
· Pick 163
· Tim Keenan III
· DT
· rank 154
Tim Keenan III at No. 163 is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. It fills a real need, too.
R6.15
· Pick 196
· Keagen Trost
· OT
· rank 184
A slide stopped in the 196th overall pick, with Keagen Trost worth more than the price. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
R7.2
· Pick 218
· Dallen Bentley
· TE
· rank 207
Good things come to war rooms that wait, and Dallen Bentley at the 218th pick is the proof. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
R7.18
· Pick 234
· TJ Hall
· CB
· rank 233
No drama and no debate, TJ Hall went about where he belonged in pick No. 234. A want dressed up as a pick, at a spot they had covered.
R7.19
· Pick 235
· Josh Cameron
· WR
· rank 191
They barely believed it either: Josh Cameron still on the board at pick 235. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
R7.28
· Pick 244
· Isaiah Nwokobia
· S
· rank 246
Isaiah Nwokobia in Round 7, Pick 28 is fair value, right on his grade. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.