A-
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings won the night they stopped Logan Jr. from sliding. Grade: A-.
by wbwychor ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 20 picks
· 11 steals
· 2 reaches
The real work happened on the phones. The Vikings fleeced their trade partners, turning their picks into a noticeably bigger pile than they started with. Little to argue with here, and the A- says so.
On value alone, Logan Jr. makes the weekend a net positive. Reaching for Van Pran left real value on the table behind him.
The Vikings indulged a want in Liufau while a need in tight end and interior defensive lineman stayed open. They punted on tight end, and it is the miss that keeps the grade honest.
In short, they turned a good board into a better roster, and it shows.
Pick-by-Pick
Bo Nix at the Round 2 slot is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Ennis Rakestraw Jr. at the 48th pick. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Sedrick Van Pran well ahead of where he belonged. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Junior Colson is a better player than Round 3, Pick 22 suggests; smart patience, rewarded. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
A tidy bit of business in pick 96, where Gabriel Murphy graded well above the range. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
They zigged when the board said zag, taking Marist Liufau at linebacker with tight end and interior defensive lineman open.
Blake Fisher slipping to pick No. 108 is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
A reasonable price with a little left over, Justin Eboigbe in slot 130. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Braelon Allen in pick 148 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Keith Randolph Jr. at Round 5, Pick 19 is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Edefuan Ulofoshio slid further than he should have, and No. 165 is lovely value for the linebacker. They doubled down on a strength rather than a need.
A tidy little value on Andru Phillips in the 174th pick, a step better than break-even. Depth on depth, at a spot that was hardly crying out.
Roger Rosengarten in the Round 6 slot lands just on the right side of the ledger. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Julian Pearl at the 179th overall pick is right where the board had him, plain and simple. A fine player at a spot low on the priority list.
They did well to land Jawhar Jordan in No. 205, just ahead of his grade. It fills a real need, too.
Matthew Jones at the 212th pick is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
They read the board right and Myles Jones was the payoff at slot 217. Stacking talent where they were already deep.
The board had Jalen Green higher than pick 222, and the safety fell to them anyway. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Somehow Kenny Logan Jr. was still sitting there in Round 7, Pick 10, and they pounced on premier safety value. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Zakhari Franklin in pick No. 246 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.