B+
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings let Mondon Jr. fall and pounced. Final grade: B+.
by - ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 5 picks
· 5 steals
· 0 reaches
Thirty-one other rooms let Smael Mondon Jr. slide, and the Vikings were the ones holding the card at slot 202. Highway robbery.
They covered a lot of ground and still skipped quarterback, which is a strange place to end up. Safety was the priority and it is no longer a question, which is most of the job.
The back end got a real overhaul. The phones were busy but the ledger stayed level.
In short, they left a little better than they arrived, which is the whole idea.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick No. 30 they get a ballhawk on the back end at a price that makes it sweeter. The biggest hole, addressed.
Dylan Sampson at slot 97 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
They barely believed it either: Kevin Winston Jr. still on the board at pick 138. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
They will replay Jake Majors at the Round 5 slot for years; that is how good the value is. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
A linebacker of that caliber at the 202nd overall pick is the definition of value, full stop. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.