B+
Minnesota Vikings
A franchise passer in Nix headlines a B+ weekend for the Vikings.
by TCSmith ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 15 picks
· 4 steals
· 3 reaches
The Vikings spent the pick that matters most on Bo Nix, and a roster that has been waiting on a passer can start to take shape. It nets out to a B+, which feels about right.
They robbed the room blind at the table, and it lifts the grade on its own. They banked enough surplus on Rakestraw Jr. to cover a lot of smaller sins.
They covered a lot of ground and still skipped tight end, which is a strange place to end up.
All told, a solid class that does its job everywhere but tight end.
Pick-by-Pick
In slot 19 they get a franchise quarterback at fair value. The biggest hole, addressed.
They barely believed it either: Ennis Rakestraw Jr. still on the board at the 51st overall pick. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
They paid a round early for T'Vondre Sweat in pick 52, more than the board wanted. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
A reasonable price with a little left over, Brenden Rice in Round 3, Pick 13. The roster fit checks out.
Christian Mahogany in the Round 3 slot is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
A market-rate interior defensive lineman, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Leonard Taylor III. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Nelson Ceaser in the 120th pick lands just on the right side of the ledger. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
They went early on Beaux Limmer in No. 130, and the value did not follow. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
James Williams at No. 137 is a sensible buy, a touch better than market for the safety. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Braelon Allen in Round 5, Pick 12 is fair value, right on his grade. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Ty'Ron Hopper in pick 160 is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
A clean, defensible pick in pick No. 166 with a little surplus value in Austin Booker. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Value with a capital V on Chau Smith-Wade in the 179th overall pick, a genuine coup. Insurance at a position that did not really ask for it.
Isaiah Neyor slipping to the 230th pick is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
The board had cheaper options than Xavier Thomas at the Round 7 slot, and it noticed. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.