D-
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings found their guy under center in Maye: D-.
by GM ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 16 picks
· 4 steals
· 1 reaches
Somebody took the Vikings to the cleaners. The deals they made bled real value, and the whole class wears it. Hard to defend, and the D- reflects that.
Drake Maye is the bet, and the class will be judged on how it pays off. For all the activity, safety went untouched, which is hard to explain.
Colson has a lot of ground to make up just to look fairly priced. Getting McMillan where they did is the sort of value that quietly makes a class.
Add it up and it is a weekend the front office will hope everyone forgets, safety very much included.
Pick-by-Pick
By-the-book stuff, Drake Maye at pick 3 squarely in line with his ranking. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
In the Round 1 slot they get a bendy edge with upside. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
In Round 1, Pick 26 they get protection for the quarterback, outstanding value to boot. Exactly the need they had to hit.
No edge and no loss on Jackson Powers-Johnson in the 50th pick; it is a wash and a sensible one. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Junior Colson in the 66th overall pick is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
A straight-up fair deal on Trey Benson at No. 68, value and slot in agreement. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
They took Cooper Beebe at par in pick No. 71, which is nothing to complain about. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Michael Hall Jr. at slot 89 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Nice patience on Jalen McMillan, who had no business lasting to Round 3, Pick 34. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
They paid sticker price for Leonard Taylor III in slot 108, and that is fine. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
A tidy bit of business in the 130th pick, where Jarrian Jones graded well above the range. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
A reasonable price with a little left over, Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint in pick 148. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
A quiet steal in pick No. 160: Jaylin Simpson for less than the market said. Depth on depth, at a spot that was hardly crying out.
A tidy little value on Joe Milton III in the Round 5 slot, a step better than break-even. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
They did well to land Curtis Jacobs in No. 179, just ahead of his grade. Pure best-available; the position was not exactly begging.
A market-rate offensive lineman, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Matthew Jones. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.