D-
Minnesota Vikings
A franchise passer in Daniels headlines a D- weekend for the Vikings.
by wbwychor ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 12 picks
· 2 steals
· 2 reaches
The war room fell hard for Ajou Ajou, and it showed at the 229th pick: 80 picks ahead of a board that had other ideas.
The trades bled value they could not afford to lose. Whatever Jayden Daniels becomes, the front office has tied its fortunes to the answer. They will answer for taking linebacker early while tight end and interior defensive lineman went begging.
Liufau at that cost is the sort of edge that compounds over a roster. They covered a lot of ground and still skipped tight end, which is a strange place to end up.
Bottom line, they will be counting on several picks to beat their grades.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 4th overall pick they get a franchise quarterback. Exactly the need they had to hit.
In the 11th pick they get a problem off the edge at fair value. The biggest hole, addressed.
A clean, defensible pick in Round 2, Pick 10 with a little surplus value in Chop Robinson. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Junior Colson in pick 109 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. A minor itch, scratched.
A surprising call. With tight end and interior defensive lineman still to address, they spent pick No. 130 on Marist Liufau, a linebacker they were not short of.
They paid sticker price for Drake Nugent in the Round 5 slot, and that is fine. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
No drama and no debate, Sincere Haynesworth went about where he belonged in the Round 5 slot. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Kitan Oladapo in Round 5, Pick 30 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
By-the-book stuff, Rasheen Ali at the 195th overall pick squarely in line with his ranking. A need, and now a little less of one.
Jawhar Jordan in slot 211 is fair value, right on his grade. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
A reach for Joshua Cephus in pick 227; a little patience would have been rewarded. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Ajou Ajou at No. 229 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. It patches a soft spot without any drama.