D
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings let Washington fall into their laps, and walked away with a D.
by JGILL ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 15 picks
· 2 steals
· 4 reaches
Every swap seemed to tilt away from the Vikings, and the value they bled adds up to real damage.
They will need Milton III to outplay his draft slot in a hurry to justify it. The tight end spot stays a question, and it was the one they most needed an answer at.
Getting Washington where they did is the sort of value that quietly makes a class.
Bottom line, they will need several of these picks to beat their grades just to break even, and tight end is still a hole.
Pick-by-Pick
In slot 13 they get a disruptor off the edge at fair value. Exactly the need they had to hit.
In pick 16 they get a potential shutdown corner. Need was not the driver here.
Jeremiah Trotter Jr. in Round 2, Pick 31 lands just on the right side of the ledger. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
By-the-book stuff, Brandon Dorlus at the Round 3 slot squarely in line with his ranking. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They took Cole Bishop at par in the 109th overall pick, which is nothing to complain about. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
They let Zak Zinter come to them and pounced at pick No. 113. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Good price on Isaac Guerendo in pick No. 118, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Tyrone Tracy Jr. at Round 4, Pick 19 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Johnny Wilson at the 130th pick is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. A need, and now a little less of one.
Fair-plus on Brennan Jackson, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Khristian Boyd at pick 166 jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A big swing on Joe Milton III at the Round 6 slot, well ahead of any board in the building. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
They jumped the gun on Drake Nugent, taking him earlier than his grade liked. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Tahj Washington in the 221st overall pick is a gift, value that borders on unfair. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
They went early on Evan Williams in pick 233, and the value did not follow. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.