B-
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings finally solved quarterback, and it carried them to a B-.
by Traderrick ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 1 steals
· 7 reaches
They will call it conviction in the building and a reach everywhere else: Austin Reed, 97 picks early at the 177th overall pick. Nothing here to lose sleep over; call it a B-.
Drake Maye gives the offense a face and a plan, and the grade leans heavily on whether he hits. The edge rusher hole is the one line item this class does not answer. Penix Jr. at that cost is the sort of edge that compounds over a roster.
In sum, a sturdy weekend with one asterisk, the edge rusher spot they never got to.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 11th pick they get their quarterback of the future. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
In the 23rd overall pick they get their guy under center for the next decade, outstanding value to boot. Exactly the need they had to hit.
Value said wait; Michael Pratt in pick No. 108 says they were not listening. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Jordan Travis at pick 129 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Joe Milton III this early at Round 5, Pick 21. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Sam Hartman in the Round 5 slot is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
They reached into another round for Austin Reed, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Taulia Tagovailoa well ahead of where he belonged. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
They reached a country mile for Carter Bradley at pick No. 232, and the board is aghast. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.