D-
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings found their guy under center in McCarthy: D-.
by MATTG89 ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 1 steals
· 1 reaches
Every swap seemed to tilt away from the Vikings, and the value they bled adds up to real damage. The process wobbled, and the D- is where it lands.
Whatever J.J. McCarthy becomes, the front office has tied its fortunes to the answer. They will answer for taking cornerback early while running back and tight end went begging. If this class has a fault line, it runs straight through running back.
They are betting McCarthy proves the room right and everyone else wrong.
Bottom line, they will need several of these picks to beat their grades just to break even, and running back is still a hole.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 8 they get a go-to option on the outside. A clean fit for the roster.
In the 11th overall pick they get a passer to set the clock by, a steep price for the projection. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
No edge and no loss on Keon Coleman in slot 42; it is a wash and a sensible one. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Kris Jenkins at pick 43 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
They paid sticker price for Mekhi Wingo in Round 4, Pick 8, and that is fine. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Jaylin Simpson in pick No. 129 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. It adds depth where they could use a little.
They bypassed pressing needs at running back and tight end to take Kalen King, a cornerback that was not the priority.
Sione Vaki is a better player than the Round 5 slot suggests; smart patience, rewarded. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
By-the-book stuff, Trente Jones at slot 188 squarely in line with his ranking. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
A straight-up fair deal on Michael Barrett at the 230th pick, value and slot in agreement. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.