B-
Minnesota Vikings
McCarthy is the plan now, and the Vikings grade out a B-.
by - ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 3 steals
· 3 reaches
After circling the position for what felt like forever, the Vikings committed. J.J. McCarthy is the quarterback now, and the roster gets built to his timeline. They moved the roster forward and banked a B- for it.
They will need McCarthy to outplay his draft slot in a hurry to justify it. The Jones value carries more weight than any single miss elsewhere.
A whole weekend of picks and offensive lineman is somehow still a want. The roster is better shaped than it was, with quarterback chief among the fixes.
In sum, a sensible class that nudges the roster the right way.
Pick-by-Pick
In slot 11 they get a passer to set the clock by, a steep price for the projection. The biggest hole, addressed.
No edge and no loss on Chris Braswell in pick 42; it is a wash and a sensible one. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Nice patience on Audric Estime, who had no business lasting to Round 4, Pick 9. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Josh Newton in pick No. 130 is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Tykee Smith in the Round 5 slot. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
They barely believed it either: Jarrian Jones still on the board at the 166th pick. Pure best-available; the position was not exactly begging.
Steele Chambers at the 179th overall pick is a conviction pick that outran the value. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
They went early on Justin Rogers in No. 190, and the value did not follow. It fills a real need, too.