B+
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings left with their quarterback, and a B+ to match.
by dschully ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 16 picks
· 8 steals
· 3 reaches
Start where it matters. The Vikings took Jayden Daniels to run the offense for the next decade, and every other decision this weekend bends around that one. Call it a sensible B+, earned the boring way.
If Logue pans out, nobody remembers the price. If not, this is the pick they hear about. Every deal seemed to tilt their way, which is not luck. Abrams-Draine falling to them is the kind of break a good board is built to catch.
Solid rather than spectacular, and there is nothing wrong with that.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 11 they get a long-term answer under center at fair value. The biggest hole, addressed.
Brian Thomas Jr. at Round 2, Pick 18 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Kalen King at slot 60. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
A tidy bit of business in pick No. 89, where Blake Corum graded well above the range. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
They took Tommy Eichenberg at par in the 111th pick, which is nothing to complain about. A minor itch, scratched.
Good things come to war rooms that wait, and Max Melton at the 122nd overall pick is the proof. They doubled down on a strength rather than a need.
They will replay Matt Goncalves at the Round 4 slot for years; that is how good the value is. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
A reasonable price with a little left over, Dallin Holker in pick 137. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Circle this one: Kris Abrams-Draine at slot 151 is a fall that decides a draft. Stacking talent where they were already deep.
Good price on Ainias Smith in Round 5, Pick 27, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
They liked Josh Proctor enough to skip the value, taking him in No. 164. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Xavier Thomas this early at the 171st overall pick. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
LaDarius Henderson at the 178th pick is money in the bank, a offensive lineman taken below his worth. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A market-rate wide receiver, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Jacob Cowing. A need, and now a little less of one.
They reached a country mile for Zion Logue at pick 187, and the board is aghast. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Taking Brevyn Spann-Ford in pick No. 250 is close to grand larceny; a tight end that good had no business lasting this long. It fills a real need, too.