B
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings fleeced the room on the phones and earned a B.
by TCSmith ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 18 picks
· 3 steals
· 2 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.
The Limmer reach is the anchor dragging on the value grade. Leaving tight end unaddressed is the roster risk they will have to answer for in the fall.
The Thrash pick alone nudges the whole weekend up a notch. They left with quarterback solved and the rest of the wish list mostly ticked off.
A tidy weekend of work that should hold up just fine.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick No. 30 they get a sticky cover corner. Need was not the driver here.
They did well to land Bralen Trice in Round 2, Pick 11, just ahead of his grade. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
A premium they did not need to pay, Jonathon Brooks a notch or two before his time. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
They paid sticker price for Ruke Orhorhoro in the 62nd pick, and that is fine. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
A reasonable price with a little left over, Johnny Wilson in the 80th overall pick. The roster fit checks out.
Zak Zinter in slot 93 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A slide stopped in No. 108, with Jamari Thrash worth more than the price. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Tykee Smith slipping to pick 109 is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Nothing to complain about; Nelson Ceaser went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Beaux Limmer this early at pick No. 120. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
No edge and no loss on Jordan Travis in No. 130; it is a wash and a sensible one. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Javion Cohen at Round 5, Pick 12 nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
They took Chau Smith-Wade at par in the 160th overall pick, which is nothing to complain about. They doubled down on a strength rather than a need.
Good price on LaDarius Henderson in pick 166, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Nathan Thomas at the 179th pick is money in the bank, a offensive lineman taken below his worth. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
By-the-book stuff, Rasheen Ali at slot 189 squarely in line with his ranking. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
No drama and no debate, Nathaniel Watson went about where he belonged in the 230th overall pick. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
A market-rate linebacker, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Tatum Bethune. A want dressed up as a pick, at a spot they had covered.