F
Minnesota Vikings
A passer of the future in Daniels, and a F, for the Vikings.
by himotyh ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 19 picks
· 4 steals
· 2 reaches
The Vikings lost the trade war and it was not close, handing partners the better end again and again.
Everything downstream of Jayden Daniels depends on Jayden Daniels, and the building knows it. They are betting Travis proves the room right and everyone else wrong.
It is not that Tampa is a bad player; it is that the Vikings had louder needs to answer first. They covered a lot of ground and still skipped edge rusher, which is a strange place to end up.
That is an offensive lineman worth more than the slot they spent on him, plainly. Spend now, pay later; the math only works if this class delivers.
The verdict is harsh because the weekend was, and there is little to argue.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick No. 4 they get a passer to set the clock by. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
In Round 1, Pick 27 they get a sticky cover corner at fair value. Need was not the driver here.
Roman Wilson at slot 45 nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Keon Coleman at pick 48 is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
They took Javon Bullard at par in the Round 2 slot, which is nothing to complain about. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Hard to square with the roster. With positions of obvious need still on the board, T.J. Tampa adds a cornerback and leaves edge rusher untouched.
Blake Corum at No. 71 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Maason Smith in the 83rd overall pick, miles early. It fills a real need, too.
No edge and no loss on Jalen McMillan in Round 4, Pick 8; it is a wash and a sensible one. A need, and now a little less of one.
The eyebrow-raiser of the weekend. They went cornerback with Cam Hart while clear needs at edge rusher sat open.
They paid sticker price for Caedan Wallace in No. 129, and that is fine. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
A real head-scratcher, Jordan Travis in the Round 5 slot is miles ahead of his ranking. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Jordan Jefferson in pick 167 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Beau Brade at slot 172 is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Jaheim Bell at the 177th overall pick is right where the board had him, plain and simple. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing KT Leveston in pick No. 230. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A quiet steal in No. 232: Darius Muasau for less than the market said. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
Nothing to complain about; Michael Barrett went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. Nice player, but the depth chart did not need him here.
Jacob Monk in pick 257 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.