B-
Minnesota Vikings
More right than wrong for the Vikings, and a B- to prove it.
by Jaxson ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 2 steals
· 4 reaches
It is the swing that defines the weekend: BJ Mayes in pick 202, a good 28 spots before the room expected him.
They punted on safety, and it is the miss that keeps the grade honest. Milton III falling to them is the kind of break a good board is built to catch.
They squeezed a little extra out of every move they made.
In sum, a sturdy weekend with one asterisk, the safety spot they never got to.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 11 they get a problem off the edge. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
They did well to land Ennis Rakestraw Jr. in the Round 2 slot, just ahead of his grade. A minor need, but a need all the same.
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Kris Jenkins at the 61st pick. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
They took Tommy Eichenberg at par in pick 128, which is nothing to complain about. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
Braelon Allen at slot 148 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
They liked Jordan Jefferson enough to skip the value, taking him in pick No. 166. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Joe Milton III is a better player than the Round 6 slot suggests; smart patience, rewarded. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They talked themselves into Tanor Bortolini at Round 6, Pick 22, and the board did not agree. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, BJ Mayes well ahead of where he belonged. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.
A reach on Matthew Jones in slot 230; the board had better options right there. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.