B
Minnesota Vikings
Penix Jr. is the Vikings' new face under center. Grade: B.
by JohneMN ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 4 steals
· 1 reaches
The Vikings spent the pick that matters most on Michael Penix Jr., and a roster that has been waiting on a passer can start to take shape. They moved the roster forward and banked a B for it.
Getting Cowing where they did is the sort of value that quietly makes a class. They will need Nelson to outplay his draft slot in a hurry to justify it.
They covered a lot of ground and still skipped safety, which is a strange place to end up.
A tidy weekend of work that should hold up just fine.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 12th overall pick they get a franchise quarterback at fair value. The biggest hole, addressed.
Value with a capital V on Terrion Arnold in the Round 2 slot, a genuine coup. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
Braelon Allen at Round 4, Pick 12 is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Tommy Eichenberg in the 127th pick is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
Mohamed Kamara at No. 149 is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Jack Nelson at pick 162 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A reasonable price with a little left over, Jaylin Simpson in slot 165. Stacking talent where they were already deep.
The board had Cedric Johnson higher than pick No. 179, and the edge rusher fell to them anyway. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
They will replay Jacob Cowing at No. 233 for years; that is how good the value is. The roster fit checks out.