B+
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings fleeced the room on the phones and earned a B+.
by TCSmith ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 12 picks
· 3 steals
· 3 reaches
The real work happened on the phones. The Vikings fleeced their trade partners, turning their picks into a noticeably bigger pile than they started with. More right than wrong, and a B+ to match.
They covered a lot of ground and still skipped tight end, which is a strange place to end up. Allen at that cost is the sort of edge that compounds over a roster. If Robinson pans out, nobody remembers the price. If not, this is the pick they hear about.
The hoard sets up next April more than it helps this September.
In sum, a sturdy weekend with one asterisk, the tight end spot they never got to.
Pick-by-Pick
No edge and no loss on Terrion Arnold in No. 22; it is a wash and a sensible one. A minor itch, scratched.
A clean, defensible pick in the Round 2 slot with a little surplus value in Chop Robinson. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
A reasonable price with a little left over, J.J. McCarthy in Round 2, Pick 19. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
By-the-book stuff, Gabriel Murphy at the 83rd pick squarely in line with his ranking. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Dillon Johnson at slot 108 is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. A need, and now a little less of one.
A reach for Beaux Limmer in pick No. 130; a little patience would have been rewarded. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
A reach on Layden Robinson in the 148th overall pick; the board had better options right there. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Keith Randolph Jr. slipping to pick 160 is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Nice patience on Braelon Allen, who had no business lasting to slot 166. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
No drama and no debate, Josh Proctor went about where he belonged in pick No. 179. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
A market-rate wide receiver, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Isaiah Williams. It fills a real need, too.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Daequan Hardy in Round 7, Pick 10. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.