B
Minnesota Vikings
A respectable, level-headed haul for the Vikings: B.
by Bull ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 2 steals
· 1 reaches
The one they had to fix is still broken. The Vikings left safety untouched, and that omission hangs over an otherwise reasonable haul. It nets out to a B, which feels about right.
If one pick saves this weekend, it is Henderson. The Eboigbe reach is the anchor dragging on the value grade. The roster is better shaped than it was, with quarterback chief among the fixes.
Building through the lines is a philosophy, and they stuck to it.
In short, they left a little better than they arrived, which is the whole idea.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 11 they get a premier pass rusher. Exactly the need they had to hit.
J.J. McCarthy in the Round 2 slot is fair value, right on his grade. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
They paid sticker price for Blake Fisher in the 108th overall pick, and that is fine. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
A tidy little value on Cam Hart in pick No. 128, a step better than break-even. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
Jaylin Simpson at the 148th pick is a sensible buy, a touch better than market for the cornerback. Pure best-available; the position was not exactly begging.
A quiet steal in pick 163: Darius Robinson for less than the market said. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
They liked Justin Eboigbe enough to skip the value, taking him in Round 5, Pick 28. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
LaDarius Henderson at slot 179 is money in the bank, a offensive lineman taken below his worth. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
A market-rate offensive lineman, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Maurice Smith. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.