A-
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings worked the phones like thieves and earned a A-.
by wbwychor ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 8 steals
· 1 reaches
There is conviction, and then there is this. The Vikings took Aaron Lewis a full 35 picks ahead of where the board had him, an overdraft steep enough that it colors the whole weekend. One of the weekend's best, top to bottom, and a A- to show for it.
The dealing alone would carry a lesser class. That Simpson pick is the receipt they will wave around later. The quarterback spot stays a question, and it was the one they most needed an answer at.
Add it up and this is about as clean as a draft weekend gets.
Pick-by-Pick
In the Round 1 slot they get a premier pass rusher. Exactly the need they had to hit.
Good things come to war rooms that wait, and Junior Colson at the 88th overall pick is the proof. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
Johnny Dixon at Round 5, Pick 6 is money in the bank, a cornerback taken below his worth. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
A quiet steal in No. 148: Kamal Hadden for less than the market said. They added to a strength when a need was still open elsewhere.
They let Braelon Allen come to them and pounced at pick No. 160. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
A slide stopped in slot 165, with Justin Rogers worth more than the price. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Circle this one: Jaylin Simpson at slot 174 is a fall that decides a draft. Nice player, but the depth chart did not need him here.
Daequan Hardy slipping to No. 230 is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. They doubled down on a strength rather than a need.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Mark Perry in the 245th pick. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Aaron Lewis at pick No. 253 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.