B+
Minnesota Vikings
Larceny in No. 130 lands the Vikings a B+, Cowing and all.
by jim ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 12 picks
· 6 steals
· 3 reaches
Thirty-one other rooms let Jacob Cowing slide, and the Vikings were the ones holding the card at the 130th pick. Highway robbery. Call it a sensible B+, earned the boring way.
They robbed the room blind at the table, and it lifts the grade on its own. Reaching for Lindberg left real value on the table behind him.
The safety hole is the one line item this class does not answer.
In sum, a sturdy weekend with one asterisk, the safety spot they never got to.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick 16 they get an island corner at fair value. Need was not the driver here.
Bralen Trice in the Round 2 slot is a gift, value that borders on unfair. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A quiet steal in slot 81: Brenden Rice for less than the market said. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
By-the-book stuff, Will Shipley at pick No. 108 squarely in line with his ranking. A need, and now a little less of one.
They liked Jordan Travis enough to skip the value, taking him in the 118th pick. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Jacob Cowing at the 130th overall pick is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. It fills a real need, too.
Nice patience on Luke McCaffrey, who had no business lasting to Round 5, Pick 12. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
A tidy little value on Cody Schrader in No. 165, a step better than break-even. The roster fit checks out.
They reached into another round for Braiden McGregor, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Christian Jones is a better player than pick No. 201 suggests; smart patience, rewarded. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Chad Lindberg at Round 7, Pick 10 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Steele Chambers slipping to pick 236 is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. It adds depth where they could use a little.