B-
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings answered their biggest question with Penix Jr.. Grade: B-.
by coreyedward63 ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 1 steals
· 6 reaches
Nobody else had Austin Reed anywhere near the 191st pick. The Vikings did, by 83 spots, and that gap is the whole story.
Michael Penix Jr. is the bet, and the class will be judged on how it pays off. The Harden steal is the beam this whole class leans on. They covered a lot of ground and still skipped safety, which is a strange place to end up.
Not a headline-grabber, but a perfectly good weekend's work.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 11th overall pick they get their guy under center for the next decade. Exactly the need they had to hit.
In Round 1, Pick 23 they get juice off the edge, even if it was a touch early. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
Trevor Keegan in slot 108 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Tommy Eichenberg at pick No. 151 is a sensible buy, a touch better than market for the linebacker. A minor itch, scratched.
Hunter Nourzad at No. 157 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
They jumped the gun on Fabien Lovett, taking him earlier than his grade liked. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Cornelius Johnson in Round 6, Pick 2 is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Austin Reed at slot 191 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
A real head-scratcher, Kimani Vidal in No. 230 is miles ahead of his ranking. A need, and now a little less of one.
Taking Myles Harden in the Round 7 slot is close to grand larceny; a cornerback that good had no business lasting this long. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.