D-
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings bet the future on Maye. The board says D-.
by thajoykileryahoocom ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 17 picks
· 8 steals
· 1 reaches
The value of the weekend has a name and a slot: Kalen King, the 218th pick, roughly 78 picks past where he belonged.
The whole projection now runs through Drake Maye; hit there and everything else looks smarter. They lost the exchange badly enough to drag the whole class down.
If Smith pans out, nobody remembers the price. If not, this is the pick they hear about. They are betting the present roster is worth a lighter draft next spring.
A rough weekend that leaves the roster with more questions than answers.
Pick-by-Pick
In slot 12 they get a long-term answer under center. The biggest hole, addressed.
In No. 15 they get a weapon on the perimeter at a price that makes it sweeter. A clean fit for the roster.
In the 21st overall pick they get a premier pass rusher at fair value. Exactly the need they had to hit.
No edge and no loss on Payton Wilson in the 42nd pick; it is a wash and a sensible one. It adds depth where they could use a little.
Jordan Morgan at Round 2, Pick 14 is money in the bank, a offensive lineman taken below his worth. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
They read the board right and Kris Jenkins was the payoff at pick No. 55. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
A reasonable price with a little left over, Zak Zinter in No. 109. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A reach for Tykee Smith in pick 130; a little patience would have been rewarded. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
They took Mason McCormick at par in the Round 5 slot, which is nothing to complain about. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
A market-rate tight end, with the board and the slot shaking hands on AJ Barner. The roster fit checks out.
No drama and no debate, Luke McCaffrey went about where he belonged in slot 166. A need, and now a little less of one.
Somehow Michael Pratt was still sitting there in pick No. 179, and they pounced on premier quarterback value. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Good price on Delmar Glaze in the 190th pick, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Kalen King in the 218th overall pick should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. A minor need, but a need all the same.
A linebacker of that caliber at No. 229 is the definition of value, full stop. A luxury on a unit that was already in good shape.
Gabe Hall at pick 232 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
A slide stopped in Round 7, Pick 17, with Frank Gore Jr. worth more than the price. It patches a soft spot without any drama.