C-
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings let Paul Jr. fall and pounced. Final grade: C-.
by jdeitz ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 11 picks
· 11 steals
· 0 reaches
Every so often the board makes a mistake, and the Vikings were there to profit. Chris Paul Jr., the No. 113 name on the board, should have been long gone before slot 205. For now it grades a C-, with the swing picks left to settle the rest.
Overpaying at the table undid a lot of the good work elsewhere. A whole weekend of picks and quarterback is somehow still a want. The Vikings paired the rookies with proven help, Dexter Lawrence II leading the way.
Bottom line, the swing picks will decide whether this ages well.
Pick-by-Pick
Somehow Nick Emmanwori was still sitting there in Round 2, Pick 3, and they pounced on premier safety value. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
They will replay Jalon Walker at slot 62 for years; that is how good the value is. A minor itch, scratched.
Circle this one: Kaleb Johnson at the 87th overall pick is a fall that decides a draft. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
The board fumbled TreVeyon Henderson all the way to the Round 3 slot, and they scooped it up. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Malachi Moore in No. 101 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
They barely believed it either: Jake Majors still on the board at pick No. 126. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Demetrius Knight Jr. at the 138th pick is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. Nice player, but the depth chart did not need him here.
Barrett Carter in pick 159 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. They added to a strength when a need was still open elsewhere.
You do not let a running back like Cam Skattebo reach the Round 5 slot and blink. They did not. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
A safety of that caliber at slot 175 is the definition of value, full stop. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Taking Chris Paul Jr. in the 205th overall pick is close to grand larceny; a linebacker that good had no business lasting this long. A want dressed up as a pick, at a spot they had covered.