A-
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings robbed the room for Washington. Final grade: A-.
by TCSmith ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 12 picks
· 8 steals
· 3 reaches
Somebody in the 165th pick was going to get robbed, and it turned out to be the rest of the league. The Vikings sat still while Malik Washington, the No. 118 name on the board, slid all the way to them, then sprinted to the podium. The sum of the weekend is a deserved A-.
They robbed the room blind at the table, and it lifts the grade on its own. They are betting Orhorhoro proves the room right and everyone else wrong.
They will regret leaving edge rusher for another day if the season turns on it.
Add it up and this is about as clean as a draft weekend gets.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 22nd pick they get a press-man option on the boundary, and a steal at that. More want than need.
By-the-book stuff, J.J. McCarthy at the Round 2 slot squarely in line with his ranking. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
They talked themselves into Ruke Orhorhoro at slot 47, and the board did not agree. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Bucky Irving in No. 108 is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
A tidy bit of business in pick 130, where Ainias Smith graded well above the range. It fills a real need, too.
The board had Tommy Eichenberg higher than the 136th overall pick, and the linebacker fell to them anyway. A minor need, but a need all the same.
Layden Robinson in Round 5, Pick 12 is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Taking Kamal Hadden in pick No. 160 is close to grand larceny; a cornerback that good had no business lasting this long. Insurance at a position that did not really ask for it.
Malik Washington at Round 5, Pick 29 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
A top-tier offensive lineman at a bargain, LaDarius Henderson in pick 179, plain and simple. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
They paid up for Jalen Green at the Round 6 slot when waiting would have done the job. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
You do not let a running back like Miyan Williams reach the 230th pick and blink. They did not. A need, and now a little less of one.