B+
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings drew a line under the quarterback search with McCarthy: B+.
by cow lover ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 14 picks
· 2 steals
· 7 reaches
The Vikings spent the pick that matters most on J.J. McCarthy, and a roster that has been waiting on a passer can start to take shape. More right than wrong, and a B+ to match.
The phones were where this weekend was really won. They will need Byrd to outplay his draft slot in a hurry to justify it. The Wallace pick alone nudges the whole weekend up a notch.
The interior defensive lineman hole is the one line item this class does not answer. The Vikings indulged a want in King while a need in interior defensive lineman stayed open.
All told, a solid class that does its job everywhere but interior defensive lineman.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick No. 25 they get their guy under center for the next decade. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
A reach on Xavier Worthy in Round 2, Pick 14; the board had better options right there. A need, and now a little less of one.
They did well to land Jaylen Wright in slot 74, just ahead of his grade. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Kris Abrams-Draine in No. 88 lands just on the right side of the ledger. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
A tidy little value on Zak Zinter in pick 108, a step better than break-even. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
The eyebrow-raiser of the weekend. They went cornerback with Kalen King while clear needs at interior defensive lineman sat open.
They reached into another round for Luke McCaffrey, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Dallin Holker in the Round 5 slot is a gift, value that borders on unfair. It fills a real need, too.
Myles Cole in pick 187 is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
They jumped the gun on Tarheeb Still, taking him earlier than his grade liked. A luxury on a unit that was already in good shape.
Solomon Byrd at pick No. 230 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Caedan Wallace at No. 234 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Fair-plus on Josh Proctor, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
They liked Austin Reed enough to skip the value, taking him in the 257th pick. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.