B+
Minnesota Vikings
Larceny in the 166th overall pick lands the Vikings a B+, Smith-Wade and all.
by Supermike3867 ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 11 picks
· 7 steals
· 0 reaches
The Vikings did not reach, did not trade up, did not blink. They just waited, and Chau Smith-Wade fell into the Round 5 slot.
They punted on quarterback, and it is the miss that keeps the grade honest. With quarterback, wide receiver and other spots unsolved, spending premium capital on DT-EDGE is the choice that costs them. The veteran additions, Kevin Zeitler chief among them, give the class a floor the rookies alone would not.
Stockpiling next year's capital is patient, if unglamorous, asset work.
In sum, a sturdy weekend with one asterisk, the quarterback spot they never got to.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 30 they get a disruptor off the edge, and a steal at that. Exactly the need they had to hit.
Mike Sainristil in Round 3, Pick 5 is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
A want over a need in pick No. 109: Maason Smith adds a DT-EDGE while quarterback, wide receiver and other spots keeps waiting.
James Williams slipping to the 130th overall pick is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Steal is underselling it; Cedric Gray at slot 144 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
Trevor Keegan at the Round 5 slot is right where the board had him, plain and simple. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Fair-plus on Mason McCormick, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
A top-tier cornerback at a bargain, Chau Smith-Wade in pick 166, plain and simple. Pure best-available; the position was not exactly begging.
Somehow Cody Schrader was still sitting there in pick No. 179, and they pounced on premier running back value. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Dwight McGlothern at slot 190 is money in the bank, a cornerback taken below his worth. Nice player, but the depth chart did not need him here.
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Garret Greenfield at pick 237. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.