C+
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings found their guy under center in McCarthy: C+.
by Priest ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 11 picks
· 3 steals
· 7 reaches
The Vikings looked at the value chart, folded it up, and took DeMonte Capehart at the 167th pick regardless, 225 picks early. Some smart calls, some head-scratchers, and a C+ in the wash.
Whatever J.J. McCarthy becomes, the front office has tied its fortunes to the answer. Whatever else happened, they won the night they took Jones.
They punted on safety, and it is the miss that keeps the grade honest.
So much rides on J.J. McCarthy that the real verdict is a season or two away.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 11th pick they get a passer to set the clock by, a steep price for the projection. Exactly the need they had to hit.
A real head-scratcher, Blake Fisher in Round 2, Pick 10 is miles ahead of his ranking. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Marist Liufau at slot 108 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
Walter Rouse at the Round 4 slot is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
They reached into another round for DeMonte Capehart, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
A clean, defensible pick in the 169th overall pick with a little surplus value in Isaiah Davis. The roster fit checks out.
Taking Jarrian Jones in slot 177 is close to grand larceny; a cornerback that good had no business lasting this long. A minor need, but a need all the same.
Jha'Quan Jackson in the 188th pick is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Tatum Bethune in No. 219 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. Depth on depth, at a spot that was hardly crying out.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Tanner McLachlan in pick 230. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Value said wait; Jesus Gibbs in the Round 7 slot says they were not listening. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.