C+
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings bet the future on McCarthy. The board says C+.
by cow lover ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 2 steals
· 4 reaches
The search is over. The Vikings handed the keys to J.J. McCarthy, and the whole operation now runs on his development.
Ford has a lot of ground to make up just to look fairly priced. However the rest shakes out, Williams at that price is a win they earned. For all the activity, tight end went untouched, which is hard to explain.
If J.J. McCarthy and a couple of the gambles land, hindsight will be kinder than this grade.
Pick-by-Pick
In slot 5 they get their guy under center for the next decade, a steep price for the projection. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
Zak Zinter in Round 4, Pick 8 lands just on the right side of the ledger. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A straight-up fair deal on Mohamed Kamara at pick No. 129, value and slot in agreement. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
They read the board right and Luke McCaffrey was the payoff at pick 157. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Jaylan Ford in the 167th overall pick, miles early. It adds depth where they could use a little.
M.J. Devonshire at the 177th pick jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
No drama and no debate, Frank Gore Jr. went about where he belonged in the Round 7 slot. The roster fit checks out.
A quiet steal in No. 230: Evan Williams for less than the market said. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
They reached a country mile for Taulia Tagovailoa at slot 257, and the board is aghast. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.