B+
Minnesota Vikings
Larceny in slot 251 lands the Vikings a B+, Henderson and all.
by Con9nor3 ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 20 picks
· 13 steals
· 1 reaches
You could see the war room lean forward. LaDarius Henderson at No. 251 is the sort of fall that does not happen, except it just did. They moved the roster forward and banked a B+ for it.
The phones were where this weekend was really won. The imported veterans give this class a floor the draft picks could not on their own.
The Colson reach is the anchor dragging on the value grade. Quarterback was the priority and it is no longer a question, which is most of the job.
In sum, a sensible class that nudges the roster the right way.
Pick-by-Pick
Jer'Zhan Newton in No. 20 is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
JC Latham at slot 52 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Nice patience on Quinn Ewers, who had no business lasting to the 58th overall pick. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Taking Troy Franklin in the 87th pick is close to grand larceny; a wide receiver that good had no business lasting this long. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
The board fumbled Brian Thomas Jr. all the way to pick No. 89, and they scooped it up. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Donovan Edwards at Round 4, Pick 1 is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
A reach for Junior Colson in the Round 4 slot; a little patience would have been rewarded. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
You do not let a cornerback like D.J. James reach pick 127 and blink. They did not. It adds depth where they could use a little.
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Tykee Smith at the Round 5 slot. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Cam Hart in slot 149 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. They added to a strength when a need was still open elsewhere.
A straight-up fair deal on Ben Sinnott at No. 160, value and slot in agreement. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
By-the-book stuff, Jaylan Ford at pick 162 squarely in line with his ranking. Pure best-available; the position was not exactly begging.
Tyler Batty in the 168th overall pick is fair value, right on his grade. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Sataoa Laumea in Round 5, Pick 38 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Steal is underselling it; Theo Wease at pick No. 179 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. It fills a real need, too.
Somehow Jason Marshall Jr. was still sitting there in the 198th pick, and they pounced on premier cornerback value. Depth on depth, at a spot that was hardly crying out.
Jo'Quavious Marks at the Round 6 slot is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Omar Speights at pick 221 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. They doubled down on a strength rather than a need.
They paid sticker price for Jahdae Barron in the 233rd pick, and that is fine. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
LaDarius Henderson in No. 251 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.