B
Minnesota Vikings
Grand theft in No. 166: the Vikings steal Mustapha and grade out a B.
by 51 ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 12 picks
· 4 steals
· 3 reaches
The real work happened on the phones. The Vikings fleeced their trade partners, turning their picks into a noticeably bigger pile than they started with. More right than wrong, and a B to match.
Mustapha at that cost is the sort of edge that compounds over a roster. The Hunt pick reads as want over need, and the roster will feel it at edge rusher. They will need Hunt to outplay his draft slot in a hurry to justify it.
If this class has a fault line, it runs straight through edge rusher.
In short, they left a little better than they arrived, which is the whole idea.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick 15 they get a cornerstone up front at fair value. Exactly the need they had to hit.
A reach on T'Vondre Sweat in the Round 2 slot; the board had better options right there. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
They liked Cooper Beebe enough to skip the value, taking him in the 61st overall pick. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
A reasonable price with a little left over, Trey Benson in Round 3, Pick 9. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
They bypassed pressing needs at edge rusher to take Jalyx Hunt, a S-EDGE that was not the priority.
A straight-up fair deal on Tommy Eichenberg at the 130th pick, value and slot in agreement. It adds depth where they could use a little.
Fair-plus on Cam Hart, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
They read the board right and Luke McCaffrey was the payoff at pick No. 157. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Taking Malik Mustapha in the Round 5 slot is close to grand larceny; a safety that good had no business lasting this long. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Braelon Allen at Round 6, Pick 4 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
A market-rate quarterback, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Sam Hartman. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
A top-tier tight end at a bargain, Jared Wiley in slot 232, plain and simple. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.