B+
Minnesota Vikings
Larceny in No. 163 lands the Vikings a B+, Johnson and all.
by dschully ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 2 steals
· 0 reaches
Whoever sat across the table from the Vikings should ask for a receipt. They cleaned the room out, prying loose far more value than they gave up, and it was the quiet MVP of their weekend. They moved the roster forward and banked a B+ for it.
The Sainristil pick reads as want over need, and the roster will feel it at safety, offensive lineman and other spots. They will regret leaving safety for another day if the season turns on it.
Johnson at that cost is the sort of edge that compounds over a roster. Quarterback was the priority and it is no longer a question, which is most of the job.
Bottom line, more hits than misses and a roster nudged the right way.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick 12 they get a wrecking ball inside. A real need, handled.
Chris Braswell at the Round 2 slot is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
A market-rate cornerback, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Max Melton. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
The needs board was loud and they turned it down, spending the 128th pick on Mike Sainristil with safety, offensive lineman and other spots unsolved.
Good price on Jordan Travis in Round 5, Pick 12, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Theo Johnson in pick No. 163 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
No edge and no loss on Justin Rogers in slot 164; it is a wash and a sensible one. It fills a real need, too.
Zion Tupuola-Fetui in the 179th overall pick is fair value, right on his grade. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Steele Chambers slipping to the 230th pick is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. A minor need, but a need all the same.