B
Minnesota Vikings
Nobody dealt better than the Vikings this weekend: B.
by TCSmith ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 13 picks
· 2 steals
· 0 reaches
Give the war room a raise for the dealing alone. The Vikings came out ahead on every exchange that mattered, and it was not close. It does the job without flash, and the B reflects it.
The Vikings indulged a want in Abrams-Draine while a need in safety and tight end stayed open. They will regret leaving safety for another day if the season turns on it.
They banked enough surplus on Smith to cover a lot of smaller sins.
Not a headline-grabber, but a perfectly good weekend's work.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 15th overall pick they get a disruptive interior force. A real need, handled.
Byron Murphy II in No. 42 is fair value, right on his grade. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
By-the-book stuff, Josh Newton at slot 58 squarely in line with his ranking. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
A straight-up fair deal on Spencer Rattler at the 89th pick, value and slot in agreement. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Ray Davis in the Round 4 slot is exactly on the number, no argument either way. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
A surprising call. With safety and tight end still to address, they spent pick No. 126 on Kris Abrams-Draine, a cornerback they were not short of.
Nice patience on Ainias Smith, who had no business lasting to Round 4, Pick 30. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
No drama and no debate, Sincere Haynesworth went about where he belonged in pick 148. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
They took Layden Robinson at par in the 160th pick, which is nothing to complain about. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
No edge and no loss on Zion Tupuola-Fetui in the Round 5 slot; it is a wash and a sensible one. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Jaylan Ford at slot 179 nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. A minor itch, scratched.
Good price on Zakhari Franklin in pick No. 230, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. It fills a real need, too.
A market-rate offensive lineman, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Matthew Jones. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.