B+
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings worked the phones like thieves and earned a B+.
by Dabum ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 11 picks
· 1 steals
· 4 reaches
Give the war room a raise for the dealing alone. The Vikings came out ahead on every exchange that mattered, and it was not close. A dependable weekend that grades out a B+.
Every board in the league had Williams lower, and that gap is the story. That wide receiver hole did not close this weekend, and it was the biggest one on the wall.
That is a cornerback worth more than the slot they spent on him, plainly.
In short, they left a little better than they arrived, which is the whole idea.
Pick-by-Pick
In slot 21 they get a potential shutdown corner, and a steal at that.
Jonah Elliss at pick 42 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
By-the-book stuff, Sedrick Van Pran at the Round 3 slot squarely in line with his ranking. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
A premium they did not need to pay, Leonard Taylor III a notch or two before his time. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
They left a pile of value on the table to take James Williams this early at Round 4, Pick 8. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
They liked Javion Cohen enough to skip the value, taking him in pick No. 130. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They paid sticker price for Braelon Allen in the 148th pick, and that is fine. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Justin Rogers at the 160th overall pick is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. A need, and now a little less of one.
They did well to land Joe Milton III in pick No. 165, just ahead of his grade. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Josh Proctor at slot 179 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
The board had cheaper options than Xavier Thomas at the 230th overall pick, and it noticed. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.