D+
Minnesota Vikings
The steal of the weekend belongs to the Vikings and Bailey: D+.
by JGILL ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 17 picks
· 2 steals
· 3 reaches
The trade table was where it all came apart. The Vikings shipped out far more than they hauled back, and no amount of spin dresses up the bill.
The Vikings indulged a want in Jackson while a need in interior defensive lineman stayed open. Reaching for Vaki left real value on the table behind him. For all the activity, interior defensive lineman went untouched, which is hard to explain.
That is a running back worth more than the slot they spent on him, plainly.
Bottom line, they will need several of these picks to beat their grades just to break even, and interior defensive lineman is still a hole.
Pick-by-Pick
They did well to land Keon Coleman in pick No. 31, just ahead of his grade. The roster fit checks out.
In pick 32 they get a ballhawk on the outside. More want than need.
No drama and no debate, J.J. McCarthy went about where he belonged in slot 42. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Chris Braswell in the 57th pick is fair value, right on his grade. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A straight-up fair deal on Zach Frazier at No. 64, value and slot in agreement. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
A want over a need in the Round 3 slot: Khyree Jackson adds a cornerback while interior defensive lineman keeps waiting.
The board had cheaper options than Mohamed Kamara at the Round 4 slot, and it noticed. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
They reached a country mile for Sione Vaki at the 120th overall pick, and the board is aghast. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Isaiah Adams in pick 130 lands just on the right side of the ledger. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A reasonable price with a little left over, Jaheim Bell in slot 145. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Good price on Keith Randolph Jr. in the 164th pick, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
A clean, defensible pick in Round 5, Pick 30 with a little surplus value in Braelon Allen. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
They let Austin Booker come to them and pounced at No. 179. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Omar Speights at pick No. 216 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
They will replay Emani Bailey at pick 227 for years; that is how good the value is. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
They took Taulia Tagovailoa at par in slot 243, which is nothing to complain about. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A market-rate linebacker, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Steele Chambers. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.