D-
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings bet the future on Penix Jr.. The board says D-.
by Viking4224 ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 17 picks
· 6 steals
· 4 reaches
The move everyone will second-guess came early. The Vikings reached some 33 spots for Joe Milton III, and value like that does not grow back. A D- that will need time and luck to look better.
They handed away value on the phones that the picks cannot earn back. Michael Penix Jr. gives the offense a face and a plan, and the grade leans heavily on whether he hits. Getting Wallace where they did is the sort of value that quietly makes a class.
Almost all the early capital went to that side of the ball.
The verdict is not kind, and fairly so; this class has a hill to climb.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick No. 11 they get a long-term answer under center at fair value. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
In the 18th overall pick they get a weapon on the perimeter, even if it was a touch early. A real need, handled.
In No. 23 they get a run-stuffing presence up front, a steep price for the projection. A clean fit for the roster.
Xavier Worthy at the Round 2 slot is right where the board had him, plain and simple. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Mike Sainristil in slot 89. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
By-the-book stuff, Christian Mahogany at the 97th pick squarely in line with his ranking. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A reasonable price with a little left over, Zak Zinter in slot 108. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Braelon Allen is a better player than No. 115 suggests; smart patience, rewarded. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
James Williams at Round 4, Pick 29 is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
A slide stopped in the 149th pick, with Roger Rosengarten worth more than the price. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
A tidy little value on Kitan Oladapo in pick No. 157, a step better than break-even. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
They reached a country mile for Joe Milton III at the 167th overall pick, and the board is aghast. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
A market-rate edge rusher, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Khristian Boyd. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
They reached into another round for Brevyn Spann-Ford, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
A running back of that caliber at pick 230 is the definition of value, full stop. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
The board fumbled Myles Harden all the way to the Round 7 slot, and they scooped it up. Depth on depth, at a spot that was hardly crying out.
You do not let an offensive lineman like Caedan Wallace reach slot 246 and blink. They did not. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.