B-
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings left with their quarterback, and a B- to match.
by jonathanmalloy ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 2 steals
· 6 reaches
The one hole that towered over the rest is filled. The Vikings spent their marquee pick on J.J. McCarthy, and for the first time in a while there is a real answer at quarterback. Solid and sensible more than spectacular: a B-.
Reaching for Nugent left real value on the table behind him. The Thrash pick is the one they will point to when this weekend is judged. That safety hole did not close this weekend, and it was the biggest one on the wall.
In sum, a sturdy weekend with one asterisk, the safety spot they never got to.
Pick-by-Pick
In Round 1, Pick 11 they get their guy under center for the next decade, a steep price for the projection. Exactly the need they had to hit.
A quiet steal in the 23rd pick: Jayden Daniels for less than the market said. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
They reached into another round for Johnny Wilson, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Justin Eboigbe. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
They robbed the room for Jamari Thrash here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. The roster fit checks out.
They went early on Layden Robinson in the Round 5 slot, and the value did not follow. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
A wild overpay on Drake Nugent in No. 177, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Marcellas Dial at pick No. 230 is a conviction pick that outran the value. A minor need, but a need all the same.
Frank Gore Jr. at pick No. 232 nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.